Vamos ser amigos
by phanzi
Summary: I'm sorry I left you alone in the woods to die. I'm sorry I lost you again. I'm sorry I made you think I forgot you. Let's be friends again, and I'll never forget you.
1. Prologue

Author's note: Niall is Scotland, Rio is Portugal. Hope you like it! :)

I first met her in the woods. I was hunting on my own, since Niall was too lazy to come with me. I saw a rabbit. I'd usually pull out an arrow and shoot it right through the heart and it'd be good enough to cook. However, I noticed it had a bad leg and refrained from shooting it. I put my hand on its furry head to pat it. Niall had told me that food was becoming scarce in the woods and that I should not take pity on any source of food. An arrow shot through the rabbit's body out of the blue, which shocked me since the arrow almost hit me. That was when I first laid my eyes on her.

Her name was Rio. She had short, auburn hair and eyes the same color as mine. She was a hunter as well. I had Niall with me but she was all alone. She was taller than me but we were the same age. I took her back but she ran away because Niall tried to kill her. _"__Ya__can__'__t__trust__ '__er,__Arthur.__She__'__s__ '__ur__enemy.__" _He told me. But I felt that it was better to share our victims than fighting over them. She agreed to trade rabbit meat with my fresh fruits and help each other out but refused to stay with me because of Niall. I met her everyday in the evening at a particular place in the woods to trade. Sometimes I would stay and try to chat with her but she preferred to keep a low profile. I took her as a friend. Did she?

One day while I was trading food with Rio, she finally spoke to me normally, instead of the usual _hello,__goodbye_or _which__part__of__the__rabbit__do__you__want?_She asked me about the weather, which the city people call "small talk". We started talking a lot about each other.

"Rio, will you be my friend?" I asked her on that day.

"I don't know, I never had any friends before."

"Neither have I. That's why I really want one."

"Okay, then I'll be your friend."

I didn't return to Niall that night as Rio and I were playing in her camp. When we finally got tired, we had a hearty dinner of rabbit stew and went to bed. The next morning, I left Rio to sleep in as I went to pluck fruits for breakfast. A fruit tree was quite rare in the woods. While I was plucking fruits, I felt someone pull me down from the tree. It was Niall.

"There ya are! I've been looking all 'ver for ya!" Niall said as he carried me on his back and sped off.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Out of this place. The city people are going to trash this place up. I saw a bunch of bulldozers near our camp."

I thought of Rio, who was still sleeping soundly in her camp. "What about Rio?"

Niall didn't answer me. He just kept running, trying to find an exit from the woods without encountering the bulldozers. Tears filled my eyes. I couldn't imagine what would happen to Rio. The bulldozers will eventually cause a stampede that could cause Rio serious injury or even death. But she was just a girl, how can she survive the impact of the stampede? We were only friends for a day and I had already betrayed her by letting her sleep in. I was her first friend and probably her last.

I blamed Niall for not letting me save her. He took me to the city where he sought help from a friend. We managed to settle down but I would never let myself become one of those cold-blooded city jerks. After a few months in the city, I had stopped ignoring Niall and forgave him. I went to school where I met new friends. Niall was convinced that I became one of the city people when I was in high school where I started acting like a real teenage boy: hanging out with friends, flirting with girls, skipping school to crash the mall, brawling with other boys. He was glad, thinking I had forgotten all about our life in the woods and my first friend who died tragically in a stampede.

But I never did.


	2. It's not a coincidence

**Author's note: READ THIS BEFORE YOU CONTINUE READING! This may look like a different setting but it's not. Arthur just became a pirate under the influence of Niall. If you're wondering what happened to Niall…well you will find out eventually! I won't spoil the story. Also, if you're asking about how Elizabeth I already passed away when America became a British colony…ignore that. Because Alfred is Alfred here, not America. **

**X**

_The dark-skinned boy wandered around the woods, trying to find his way back to the city. He cursed at himself for being so stupid. He was already thirteen and yet he still got lost in the woods. He expected another earful from his mother for not staying in the city as if he was a seven-year-old kid. _

_His name was Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. He lived with his single mother who always had headaches over her delinquent son. Although Antonio was only 13, he was already a delinquent. He had friends who were murderers and rapists. Antonio didn't enjoy going to the woods with his friends Francis and Gilbert to climb cliffs and trees, but if he told them he preferred not to go, he'd be called a woman or a pansy. He was always careful when he went to the woods, making sure his mother would be clueless about it. But now, he couldn't find Francis and Gilbert and he was left all alone in the woods where he was unable to find his way home. _

_Suddenly, he heard the sound of engines starting. Could it be the bulldozers? He knew the town council planned to tear this forested area down on that exact day, but Francis and Gilbert were insistent on going. Though they were Antonio's worst friends, he still hoped they would be okay. He followed the sound of the bulldozers, hoping he would be able to get help. On his way to the bulldozers, he smelled fire. Wasn't fire usually the sign for help? He led himself to the fire and discovered a small camp surrounding it. Beside the fire, he saw a figure lying beside it. Could it be a person? Or was it a dangerous wild animal? He walked gingerly to the figure and grabbed the fabric that was covering it. It turned out to be just a girl. She looked a few years younger than Antonio. What was a girl doing in the middle of the woods? Soon, the sound of the bulldozers got louder. Antonio quickly picked her up and carried her away bridal-style to get help._

**X**

"Captain?" asked one of the muscular members of Arthur Kirkland's pirate crew.

"Yes?"

"I heard that Captain Carriedo's crew just found some really rare treasure."

"Is that the result of our missing map?"

"Yes, Captain. Those bastards planted a mole in our ship who walked the plank yesterday."

"Looks like Antonio won't rest until I confront him myself." Arthur said as he smirked. "That coward."

"So what now, Captain?"

"What now? We'll trash his home of course."

The crewmember was a bit fearful of his captain's ruthlessness. "But won't we be killing lots of innocent people?"

"As long as it'll attract that tomato bastard to us, it doesn't matter even if the children die."

The crewmember gulped. Knowing his captain's intentions, he went inform his fellow crewmembers to prepare to sail to Spain. Though the navigator of the crew claimed he was a geography geek, he often made mistakes that no such navigator could make. Sometimes when Arthur wanted to sail to America to visit his younger brother Alfred, he would end up going to Africa instead. Arthur was a cruel, heartless man but the navigator was his old friend's son. Hence, he didn't hold it against him. However, Arthur had to go the correct location no matter what. He was going to start a massacre. If he started it in the wrong country, the country could declare war on his home country, England. He knew that would cause trouble for his people, as well as his wife Queen Elizabeth I.

"Lance?" Arthur said he approached his navigator.

"Oh!" Arthur's voice made the petit man tremble. "Y-yes, Captain?"

"Please be careful with this trip. Remember, failure is not an option."

"Of course, Captain! I will not let you down!"

Arthur nodded and let Lance the navigator get back to work. Although Arthur was the cruelest, most powerful pirate in the world, he was a bit henpecked when it came to his wife. He claims he loves her, but he doesn't. He always felt frightened around her. After all, without her, Arthur would have never become so powerful or drive the Spanish to a dead end. As a result, Arthur always felt a strong need to protect the queen.

**X**

"Prepare for the death of all your loved ones, Antonio…" Arthur mumbled as his ship was nearing Spain. He has never been to Spain, but he knew it was warm and sunny, unlike the dull climate of England.

"Captain, we're here!" A crewmember said as he barged into Arthur's room.

"Good. Tell the rest to surround the place. I'm sure I'll be able to speak to Antonio personally soon."

The crewmember nodded and went to give instructions to the other members. Arthur knew he would be killing hundreds, or even thousands only to meet one person but he knew someone like Antonio deserved to die. After all, Arthur had spared the annoying Spanish several times. The crewmembers sometimes wondered if he still had a conscience. Soon, Arthur heard the screams of women and crying of children already. Arthur sighed. He was supposed to be pleased with this. _I have to accomplish this. For my people and for my queen. Who knows what Antonio will do if I continue keeping quiet. _

Arthur got off the ship to join in the attack. Everyone was running around frantically for the lives of themselves and their loved ones too. The place was in a pandemonium. Arthur wanted to make sure the place was Spain, but it wasn't the appropriate time for the attacker to ask such questions. He killed anyone in his way but spared children. The faces of children reminded him of his younger brother. A girl screamed as Arthur sliced her father into half with his sword. Arthur glanced at the girl. She glared at him with hatred and vengeance in her eyes. Regaining her composure, she realized she could easily get killed or raped and ran away.

Suddenly, Arthur felt someone kick the back of his neck. He lost his balance and fell. A woman with auburn hair stood in front of him. She looked very familiar and was dressed like a pirate. However, Arthur could not remember meeting a female pirate.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?" She screamed. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO MY PEOPLE?"

"I-I'm Arthur Kirkland…" The anger in the woman's eyes disappeared. She looked like she was in deep thought. Arthur took advantage of this opportunity and kicked the woman's feet, causing her to fall. Arthur quickly got on his feet and knocked the woman out before she could do anything. She yelped before falling unconscious. Arthur picked her up and went to gather his crew. He ordered them to stop the attack and to retreat immediately. The remaining crewmembers alive didn't question their captain's order and retreated as fast as possible.

**X**

Rio Juarez Carriedo woke up with a heavy head. She found herself lying on a bed in a spacious room. Where was she? She remembered her country Portugal being attacked by a group of pirates but couldn't recall getting knocked out. She quickly got off the bed and tried to find a way out. Wherever she was, she needed to go back home immediately. _Irmao won't be too pleased. _She thought. As she was about to open the door to exit the room, a familiar blonde pirate came in.

"It's you!" She yelled.

"So, I see you've woken up." Arthur said, closing the door.

"I know you're a pirate. Pirates steal. But there's no need to cause a massacre in my country!"

"You're Spanish?"

"No! I'm Portuguese! Why did you take me here anyway?"

Portuguese? Arthur face-palmed. "I'm very, very sorry. My navigator, he's a bit…well we were supposed to attack Spain.

"Why?"

"I'm sorry but I can't tell you."

"You're the enemy of the pirate Antonio Fernandez Carriedo right?"

"How'd you know?"

Rio paused. She knew if she told the pirate she was Antonio's sister, he would not hesitate to hold her hostage or even kill her. She didn't want to cause her brother trouble and neither did she want to die in the hands of such a cruel pirate. It wasn't the time to die, she still had to go back to her country to attend to the losses.

"Well, I just know he's a Spanish pirate."

"I see. By the way, what's your name?"

"Rio."

Rio? Arthur found this name, as well as its owner very familiar. He then remembered it belonged to his childhood friend. The one who died in the stampede. Was this Rio the same as his Rio? _It can't be…how was she able to escape in such a short amount of time? _

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, noticing Arthur was looking at her from head to toe.

"N-nothing…it's just that I feel that I've met you before."

"Well your name is quite familiar too, but I'm sure we've never met before."

"You used to live alone in the forested area of England right?"

"What are you talking about?" She looked at Arthur as if he was on crack. How could she possibly grow up in a forest? "I grew up in the urban parts of Lisbon!"

"Don't you remember me? I'm Arthur! And my older brother Niall who tried to kill you! We were best friends but I…I left you alone in the woods before it got torn down by a bunch of bulldozers."

"I think you've got the wrong person."

"But it can't be too much of a coincidence! Your name, your looks. They're all the same!" Tears started to fall from Arthur eyes. He didn't care that he was crying in front of a woman, especially one who he hoped was his childhood friend. "It's all my fault that she died…"

The pirate who was supposed to have no tears and no heart was _crying_. Not over lost treasure, but a girl he met when he was a child. Rio empathized with him and she felt a bit bad over the fact that she reminded him of his childhood friend.

"I'm sorry…but I really don't recall anything." Rio said, patting his shoulder.

Arthur quickly wiped away his tears. "Whatever. It doesn't really bother me nowadays."

"Wait, aren't you going to take me home?" Rio said as Arthur was about to leave the room.

"What? So you could get us all arrested on the spot? You're staying with us, _Rio_."

"WAIT! WHA-" Arthur left the room, locking the door. Now how was Rio able to get home? There were a few small windows in the room, but they were too small for her to fit through. She just hoped her brother could quickly find out what happened and rescue her. She couldn't afford to stay on the ship for too long, especially with so many pirates she didn't know. Although Rio's impression on pirates wasn't so good, Antonio's crew was an exception. They all treated her like a buddy although she was a woman and the Captain's sister.

**X**

There was blood everywhere. Dead bodies and human insides scattered the ground. Antonio wasn't angry, but anxious and worried. He knew Arthur Kirkland had came and taken his sister. Antonio couldn't imagine what would happen to Rio on Arthur's ship. Knowing Arthur's personality, she would probably get raped and abused by not only him, but his crewmembers too. Antonio prayed for his sister's safety. _He just wants me to appear._

"Captain, what are we going to do with Arthur Kirkland and Rio?" a crewmember asked.

"Since that asshole wants me to appear, I'll appear. I won't take this lying down. Tell the crew to prepare for battle!"


	3. Betrayal

**Author's note: Sup people! Thanks for all the reviews and praises! I won't let ya down! Oh by the way, Lars is Netherlands.**

**X**

"Okay, now where do I sleep?" Rio asked after coming out from the shower. She certainly did not want to spend the night with Arthur's crew. Who knows what disgusting images they have in their minds? She also did not want to lie in the same bed as Arthur as she couldn't trust him.

"Well, I guess you have no choice but to sleep with me." said Arthur.

"Don't you have other rooms?"

"Well they're all occupied by my crew, unless you want to sleep with the skeletons in the dungeon room."

"Okay. You take the floor, I take the bed."

"I own the bed, I sleep on it."

"I'm a lady so I get the bed."

"Exactly. It's a king-sized bed, there will be enough space."

"But I'm still a virgin!"

"Sheesh, you and your dirty mind. I have a wife, so I won't do anything to you."

"Are you sure?"

"Stop complaining, you spoiled brat. I already treat you differently from my crew although you're a prisoner. I give you the privilege of sleeping on a comfy bed so take it or leave it."

Rio agreed but she wasn't at all pleased. The room was the largest and looked like a five-star hotel suite from the inside. What was she thinking? Arthur was the cruelest pirate in the world, according to her brother. Now she was about to sleep on the same bed with him. He could have lied that he had a wife to do some freaky stuff to her while she was asleep. Rio quickly got those images out of her mind. She was confident that she could protect herself. _Antonio won't be too pleased…as long as he doesn't know about it everyone will be fine. _

It wasn't like she has never slept on the same bed with a guy before. When she had nightmares as a child, she would sneak into her brother's room and sleep with him. But she was a child and she felt more secure with Antonio around. Now she was dealing with a pirate who killed hundreds of her people. What's more was that she was wearing nothing but her corset and undershorts. Her face was red and burning when Arthur came in. She immediately wrapped herself in a blanket, causing Arthur to roll his eyes. They both got on the bed at the same time with Rio almost falling off the bed as she lay on the edge.

"Remember what you promised." She whispered.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." As soon as Rio turned her back to Arthur, he turned around and gave her a peck on the neck. He almost fell off the bed laughing when he saw her reaction.

"WHEN I'M OFF THIS SHIP, YOU ARE SO DEAD!" She yelled. Her face was red, showing anger but Arthur could tell she was blushing.

"You mean _if _you manage to get off this ship."

"I will! My brother will come for me!"

"Your brother? Who the hell is he? Davy Jones?"

Rio put her hand on her mouth. She almost caused herself to lose her life. She kept quiet and went back to sleep. Her tears wet the pillow as she thought of Antonio. She used to tell everyone proudly that Antonio was her brother now she had to deny it. But did she really love her brother? Or was she doing all this because of Stockholm syndrome? Her life started at the age of nine. At that time, she couldn't remember anything and believed every single word Antonio told her. She believed she was his blood-related sister and that they were orphans, but she had no memory of her spending time with Antonio as toddlers. She cried as she cursed herself for doubting Antonio. It wasn't the first time.

"Hey, are you crying?" Arthur asked.

"No!"

"I was just joking. Sorry if I offended you by calling your brother Davy Jones."

"It's nothing."

Arthur frowned. He knew this Rio was his childhood friend. He had no idea what happened to her for the past fifteen years but it obviously had something to do with her memory. He was disappointed that she lost all her memories of them, but she lost her memory, not her brain. Arthur was going to keep her on the ship as long as possible, to make remember everything.

**X**

Arthur woke up much earlier than Rio. She slept like a pig, even Arthur couldn't wake her up. He proceeded with his daily schedule. After his breakfast which was just a mere cup of tea, he went to a room where he kept all his documents, maps and letters. Since Arthur was often at sea, letters were sent to him via trained 'messengers' which were actually birds that looked like sparrows, but bigger. Chester, a member of Arthur's crew, were to collect all of Arthur's letters and put them in a box that Arthur kept in that room. Although not many people send Arthur letters since they either feared or hated him, he always checked the box just in case the queen had anything to say to him. The box had nothing but a brown envelope inside. The sender was anonymous. Getting a bit interested, Arthur opened the envelope and read the letter.

**Arthur Kirkland, you scoundrel! What have you done to my dearest sister? The nerve of you to attack her home and take her away as if she's your property! I know you're doing all this to get me out to fight you. I will meet you off the west coast of Pico Island of the Azores this week Friday. This is between the both of us so make sure Rio stays out of it! Lay a finger on her and I'll chop off all ten of them! **

**Antonio Fernandez Carriedo**

Arthur read the letter again. So Rio was Antonio's sister? Arthur's shocked face quickly melted into a furious one when he assumed Antonio caused Rio to lose all her memories. Rio was just a nine-year-old then, of course she believed everything that jerk said. She could have ended up listening to whatever he said. That thought made Arthur's blood boil. _"My brother will come for me!" _It seemed like Antonio had made Rio so devoted to him that she would risk her life to protect him. But Rio and Antonio's relationship seemed healthy, wouldn't killing Antonio hurt Rio's feelings? Not to mention Rio hating Arthur for life. Just then, Arthur heard a yelp from his room. _Crap. _He didn't remember locking Rio in his room before going out. He rushed back to his room to find one of his crewmembers pinning Rio on the wall.

"Captain! She tried to escape!"

"No I wasn't! Because I refused to sell me to _you_, you got angry and tried to get with me by force!"

"Why you whore-"

The crewmember was interrupted when Arthur sent his fist across the crewmember's face. He hit his head on the wall and fell. He glared at his captain for hitting him and shouted indignantly, "Captain, you'd rather believe some bitch than your own crew?"

Arthur grabbed his collar and punched him again. "She's not a bitch."

"What's she to you anyway?"

Arthur gave him another kick in the guts which caused him to fall unconscious. Arthur thought Rio would have escaped by then, since the door was left ajar and he wasn't paying attention. But she was still standing behind him with a puzzled look on her face. When Arthur was about to ask her if she was okay, she took a step back. He saw fear in her eyes and sort of regretted beating his own crewmember up in front of her.

"Rio, I-"

"Who exactly are you?"

"I told you!" Arthur was now grabbing her shoulders tensely, not noticing the grip on her was too hard. "We were best friends but I let you down and all these years I thought you were dead. The bulldozers, the stampede! Now that I've found you, I want to make it up to you."

"But how come I don't have any memory of you in my childhood?"

"That's because of Antonio!"

"What?"

"You claimed he was your 'brother'. But he's just a bastard who preys on young girls. He probably had designs on you and did some unimaginable things to you, making you extremely attached to him."

Rio's hand went across Arthur's face. His cheek was reddened and had a stinging pain. "Don't ever insult _irmao_!"

"See! You're attached to him just because you think you owe him something!"

Arthur was right. Rio was clinging onto Antonio and he'll never let her let go. She feared him, just like how Arthur feared the queen. She believed that Arthur looked familiar but she couldn't remember him being in her childhood.

"I know Antonio's your brother. He sent me a letter. You'll be going home in four days." Although Rio was earlier praying for her brother to come save her, she felt a bit sad leaving the ship. She only spent a night with this Arthur Kirkland yet she felt like she has known him for a decade. Arthur walked out of the room, his back facing the brunette. He couldn't let her see him cry over something so trivial, especially now since she was Antonio's sister. As soon as Arthur left the room, Rio sat on the bed as she felt tears fill her eyes. _But I don't want to go home…_

**X**

"Rio, wake up."

"Give me five more minutes."

"No, wake up. NOW."

Rio didn't respond. She turned so that her back faced Arthur, telling him that she wanted to sleep more. She never got to sleep in at home because of the work that her bosses give her. When Arthur bugged her again, she pulled the covers over her head. Arthur, who didn't understand the torture that Rio got from her bosses, thought she was simply lazy. He knew if he touched her, he would be in for hell. So he stood up, went to the edge of the bed and started to drag her out of the bed. She shrieked when she almost fell off the bed.

"Urgh! Damn it, Arthur, I'm freaking tired!"

"You've slept for 15 hours. It's time you stop lazing around and do some work!"

Rio sat up. "I'm a prisoner, not your crewmember! I don't work, I wait in my little dungeon until I die or until you set me free!"

"I'm the captain. If I say you work, you work!"

Rio groaned before she dragged her legs lazily to the bathroom. She was still half-asleep. She removed her clothes that she had worn for two days and soaked it in water to wash. That was when she realized she had no other clothes to wear. _Darn it, now what? _She opened the door slightly and peered outside. She was relieved that Arthur was still in the room and she didn't have to go face his crew.

"Arthur,"

Arthur turned to look at Rio but immediately looked away when he saw her in her underwear. "What?"

"Lend me a set of clothes. Mine are dirty."

"I don't have any clothes for you."

"Anything! I don't care if you make me dress like your crew!"

Arthur sighed and walked over to his wardrobe. He took out a clean set of clothes and passed it to Rio. It was a type of outfit that was designed for a captain. Rio seldom wore such clothes as she found them very uncomfortable. She couldn't imagine Arthur stand wearing it every day. She would have to bear with these clothes for the next three days. After taking a shower, she put the clothes on and went outside.

"Wow," Arthur said when he saw Rio in his captain outfit. "You really look like a lady captain."

"What's with the 'lady', Arthur? Are you sexist or something?"

"No, I meant you look like a captain's wife." Rio's cheeks flushed when she heard the word 'wife'. She could fantasize about marrying a pirate, or even Arthur but it was impossible. She had only known Arthur for two days and although her brother was a pirate himself, he would never approve of her marrying one.

"So, what am I supposed to do?" Rio asked, changing the subject.

"You will be doing my job."

"Excuse me?"

"An Italian ship will be arriving soon. I'm trading with the Italians. The person in charge of this trade is Feliciano Vargas. He has auburn hair with a curl to his right and golden eyes. You will be signing the trade with him. Also, keep an eye on the Italian sailors while they're transferring the goods to our ship. I can't trust them."

Rio was astonished at Arthur for giving her a job with such a huge responsibility. On Antonio's ship, only Antonio does such jobs while his crew and maybe a few prisoners do basic jobs like cleaning, fighting, cooking or punishing other prisoners. Rio noticed that Arthur's entire crew, except maybe one or two of them, detests her. She had only been on Arthur's ship for two nights and she's already gotten the privilege to do such a job. She knew what the crew said behind her back. She didn't really care about it, except where some of them would go too far and call her a whore. They assumed she seduced Arthur to get her place and would end up going back to her brother after crushing Arthur. But pirates will always be pirates. They always want a bigger share of the booty by doing more jobs.

Rio trembled a bit as the Italian ship was nearing. "Stay alert. These Italians may turn out to be fakes, so watch out!"

"Oh, so now you're the captain?" A crewmember said sarcastically which amused the others. Rio ignored them and focused on the Italian ship. It looked more like a pirate ship than a formal sailor ship, but since she's never seen a sailor ship, she would rather ignore that fact.

"It's an enemy ship! Retreat! Retreat!" A crewmember yelled. The navigator immediately tried to steer the ship away from the enemies but it was too late. The enemies had already fired a few bombs that successfully destroyed part of Arthur's ship. Rio was bewildered. She was panicking and looking for Arthur for help while the others were busy fighting the enemies. She could fight armed pirates barehanded, but she felt scared and useless all of a sudden. She wanted to look for Arthur and get him to solve everything. She noticed that the pirates were not attacking her at all. Why was that so? Won't pirates kill anyone or anything in their way of stealing or 'getting the booty'?

"Arthur, where are you?"

"Rio, attack!"

"Wha-"

"Rio! Attack, now!"

When she finally found Arthur, he threw her a sword. She was glad that it was actually her own sword that used to be stained with her enemies' blood. She brutally slashed any enemy in her way although they were not targeting her. She was quite thankful that Arthur motivated her to fight instead of being so useless and fearful. However, she encountered one enemy pirate who she almost killed.

"Lars?"

"Rio! There you are!"

Lars was a pirate on Antonio's ship. He was also the closest to Rio among all the other pirates.

"Oh my gosh Lars, it's really you!" Rio flung out her arms to embrace her old friend, but he grabbed her wrist and ran off as quickly as possible.

"We'll have our friendly reunion later. Now I've got to get you on Antonio's ship!"

"What?" Rio's excitement disappeared. "Antonio is the enemy?"

"You're not taking her anywhere!" Arthur appeared in next to Lars and was about to attack him. Lars dodged a few attacks but Arthur was faster. Soon, Lars was lying semi-conscious on the floor, blood oozing out of his neck and waist.

"What the hell did you just do?"

"He was trying to kidnap you!"

"He was trying to save me! _You're_ the kidnapper, not him!"

"That's enough!" A familiar voice was heard. Antonio had stopped the fight. Most of Arthur's crew was dead, except for those in the lower deck who were in charge of firing bombs. Antonio ordered two of his crewmembers to grab Arthur.

"_Irmao?"_

"Don't call me that. I saw everything."

"C-ca..ptain…h-help me…" Lars murmured while Rio was tending to his wounds.

Antonio kicked Rio away unexpectedly and stepped on Lars's chest, aggravating his wounds. "I'll just let Bel know that you died in the fight."

"How the hell could you do that, _irmao_!"Antonio glanced at Rio and gave her a smug look. He grabbed her collar and slapped her across the face.

"You stupid, useless, ungrateful slut. You're stupid and useless because you never noticed that this was my ship. You're a slut because when Arthur Kirkland told you to attack, you attack. I bet you do the same when he tells you to strip. Jose, Afonso, finish that brit off!"

Rio gasped at her brother's harsh words. Was he still her brother after calling her a slut? Of course, he had high expectations of her. But she was still Arthur's prisoner until Friday when Antonio would come rescue her. She was still forced to do whatever Arthur said whether she liked it or not. The two pirates that were holding onto Arthur pulled out their swords and stabbed him in the back at the same time. Rio tightened the grip on her sword and got ready to attack.

"You know what? I actually enjoy staying here. Because two days here sure beats sticking to you for more than a decade!" Rio swung the sword at Antonio viciously, causing him to have a long cut on his chest. One stab through that cut would make him disappear from the world. Rio got ready to stab him but she couldn't do it. All those years of affection and care. How could she forget? She woke up and couldn't remember anything of her past life but Antonio was there to help her start it again.

"Go! Get out of here Antonio!" Rio screamed as tears fell from her eyes. It started to rain but there was no storm. The wind was strong which may cause disruption in Antonio's retreat. But why would Rio still be concerned?

"Retreat!" Antonio commanded as he tried to stop the bleeding from his chest. Him and his crew got back on their ship and retreated without Lars. By now, the crewmembers who were firing bombs in the lower deck had came up and saw their captain and a pirate from the enemy ship lying on the floor wounded.

"Please. Help me bring them to the healing room." There was a room where injured pirates would get their wounds treated either by themselves or their crewmates. Lars was already unconscious but Arthur was still hanging on although his wounds were more serious that Lars's. Two pirates brought Arthur and Lars to the healing room.

"Ey Rio, this guy 'ere will be fine in an hour or so but I don't know 'bout cap'n." said one of the pirates.

"I-it's okay, Fox. Just d-do whatever you c-can…" Rio removed Arthur's jacket and shirt and glanced at the two gashes on Arthur's back. They were still bleeding but Arthur could easily get infection if the wounds were not wrapped up quickly.

"Fox, stop Arthur's bleeding first but don't wrap the wounds up. I'll be in the kitchen."

"Now ain't the time for a snack no matter how hungry ya are."

"I know."


	4. Friends again

**Author's note: Don't you guys think 'The One That Got Away' by Katy Perry totally fits this story? I listen to it while typing. :D I'm glad you liked Chapter 3. By the way, if you're reading 'Return of Darktalia', I will not be updating yet because I'm focusing on Vamos ser amigos. Thanks for your patience! Urgh! I just hate how my paragraphs are so freaking short.**

**X**

Rio stared at the small pot of solid. It was white and looked like cream. It was an ointment that Rio had learnt to make when Antonio's ship was attacked. She was only twelve then but Antonio made her help out with the first-aid because several men on his ship were near death because of their wounds. Antonio taught her to make the ointment for use in the future. However, apart from mass attacks on the ship, she has never used the ointment. Antonio made her remember the recipe although she didn't really want to. Once the ointment was applied on any wound, it would be disinfected immediately and would recover very fast depending on the severity of the wound. She then picked up the pot and went back to the healing room.

"I'm back." Rio said as she walked in but noticed that Fox was gone. "Fox? Fox?"

"He's gone. I told him to go check up on your friend." Arthur said. He was sitting up and his wounds were already wrapped up.

"I thought I told him not to wrap your wounds up!" Rio forced Arthur to lie down again and used a pair of scissors to cut the bandages. She almost shrieked when she saw the severity of the gashes. "God, how could he be so careless?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just lie down and bear with the pain."

"They don't feel pain- OW!" Arthur cried when Rio started to apply the ointment on his wounds. "What are you applying on my back?"

"Ointment."

"Really? My ship never has that kind of stuff. We usually just wash the wounds then wrap them up."

"Aren't you afraid of getting infection?"

"I don't know. We're pirates, not doctors."

"I'll give you the recipe of this ointment later so you can make it by yourself in the future."

"By myself? Won't you be here to make it?"

Rio didn't answer.

"Rio, look at what Antonio just did. Are you seriously thinking of going back to him?"

"No, but I can't possibly stay here forever. There's still Lars and I can't allow him to impose on you."

"It doesn't matter. I can let him be in my crew."

"What about me? I don't want to be part of a pirate crew, Arthur."

Arthur pondered about it for a while. "You'll be the acting captain then."

"What?"

"You'll be doing my work. Trading, reading letters, leading fights and so on."

"Then what will you be doing?"

"I'm the captain, nobody can blame me for slacking."

"Alright."

"By the way, could be a little more gentle with that ointment?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

"What?"

"I…I applied the ointment on your bare back by myself. I'm sorry, I should have asked one of your crew to do it." Rio said as she blushed. After attacks on Antonio's ships, she was never allowed to touch any guy's bare back. She was only in charge of making the ointment. She sort of considered it 'molesting' the guy. What's worse that her 'first time' was Arthur and she didn't even know the guy!

Arthur chuckled. "Are you embarrassed about it just because you're a woman? It's not as if you raped me."

"Whatever! I'm going to get Fox to do this."

"No!" Arthur sat up and grabbed Rio's wrist. "It's your ointment so you'll do a better job."

"I'll teach him!"

"Rio, can't you see that I _want _you to apply that ointment on me?"

"Right, I caused the attack on your ship. So it's best that I make it up by applying the ointment for you."

"That wasn't what I meant!"

"Other than that, what else could it mean?" Rio forced Arthur to lie on his stomach again so she could apply the ointment. She put her fingers in the pot of the ointment and pressed them on Arthur's skin. She looked at the gashes with hatred, remembering all those words that Antonio mouthed. She didn't realize she was causing pain to Arthur since he was struggling to keep his mouth shut. If this was Rio's definition of 'gentle' then Arthur couldn't imagine what she would be like if she were fighting.

"Bastard!" Rio yelled as she punched Arthur's wounds.

"RIO!"

"Oh. Sorry."

**X**

"What is this, Rio?" Lars said as he glanced at Arthur then back at her. "How do you expect me to stay here and work for _that_."

"Well I can't let you go back and get killed by that scumbag Antonio."

"Even if I get killed, my sisters Bel and Daphne (Luxembourg) are still in that monster's house!"

"He _loves _Bel, Lars."

"He doesn't love her, he has evil designs on her! Not to mention the fact that Daphne's only 15 and…"

Arthur put his hand on Lars's shoulder abruptly. "In a few days, you'll get your own deserved ship and your sisters back."

"What do you mean?" Lars and Rio asked in unison.

"I have my plans."

**X**

Niall finished his last cigarette and dumped it in the trash. It was past midnight. He was in his cabin on his ship drinking till sunrise. He was awake but his woman was already asleep. His woman, he had different ones everyday. He denied he was lonely but he regretted letting Arthur be on his own. Niall was a pirate as well after the urban life sucked for the both of them. They had lots of financial difficulties before Niall decided to constantly steal. Before he could get caught, he had already set off with Arthur on his ship. From then on, he became a pirate. Someone who spends their life killing, stealing and womanizing. He never forgot the day when another group of pirates attacked his ship and took Arthur. Arthur was only eleven years old. Now he was the most powerful pirate in the world. But Niall wasn't proud of him. In fact, he never wanted Arthur to become a pirate at all.

"Most powerful pirate in the world, huh?" Niall mumbled. It was loud enough to wake his woman up.

"You're still awake, Niall darling?" She said seductively as she made her way to where he was sitting.

"Take this." Niall held out a bag of gold. "And get the fuck off my ship."

The woman glanced at the money as crocodile tears rolled down her cheeks. "What do you take me for, Niall?"

"A gold-digging slut."

Niall pushed the woman on the floor and opened the door for her to go out. His crew was still out there so he gave them a nod as an instruction to throw the woman overboard. The woman got on her knees and begged Niall to let her stay but he kicked her brutally out of the room, not even letting her get the gold. She screamed 'no' as the crewmembers picked her up and threw her off. They didn't even let her keep her dignity by getting to walk the plank by herself. He might have to do something like this the next day but he had better things to do. He was setting off to find Arthur. All these years Arthur has finally stayed anchored on one same spot for more than a day. Niall took out his map and circled the Azores in red. It wouldn't take him long to get there since he was quite near that place.

"Men, prepare to set off!"

**X**

It was almost sunset when Rio finished her work. There were more than three ships that came in that day to trade and she found her work worse than transferring the heavy goods. She also hated constantly explaining to the traders that she was simply the acting captain, not Arthur's wife. She was also quite bored, doing nothing but staring at the sailors from the other ships when they were transferring goods. She still had some letters that she had to read. She couldn't believe she agreed to do all this while Arthur slacked. Sighing, she sat down cross-legged on the deck, not caring that it was unladylike.

"Tired?" Lars asked. He had just finished transferring the goods to the store room.

"Must I really do this just to keep my place here?"

"Well, I can see that you're Arthur Kirkland's pet. He'll probably let you rest all you want."

"I doubt it. I didn't see him on the ship for the whole day."

"Forget about that. If you're tired, then go to your room and rest."

"I really don't want to get a scolding from the real captain."

"I'm telling you, leave the letters for tomorrow morning. You need your beauty sleep."

"Okay then. Thanks Lars!" Rio said as she gave Lars a good night kiss on the cheek. He hid his red face away, thanking god that Rio didn't see that. She made her way to her room, which was actually Arthur's room. She was exhausted so she just threw herself on the bed and closed her eyes. She couldn't rest for long since she felt a shadow over her. She opened her eyes and almost fell off the bed when she saw Arthur's face.

"Arthur?" She felt like she was getting pinned down on the bed although Arthur wasn't touching her.

"Turning in so early?"

"No, I was just resting. I still have a pile of letters to read."

"Sounds reasonable."

"You scared the crap out of me!"

"What? I'm not touching you."

"Then get off!" Rio's heart was beating fast as Arthur's face was uncomfortably close to hers. Arthur frowned at Rio's anxious face. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and got off the bed. Rio's anxious face quickly melted into an embarrassed one. "God, Arthur! Will you stop getting so close to me all the time?"

Arthur remembered that was what Rio said when they were still kids. It was the night before the bulldozers came. He spent it with Rio at her camp. The sleeping bag was actually big enough for four children or two adults but Arthur kept shifting nearer and nearer to Rio.

"_God, Arthur! Will you stop getting so close to me all the time?"_

"_What? I'm bloody cold!"_

"_But I've no space!"_

"_But I'm going to freeze to death!"_

"_Fine." Rio leaned over and embraced Arthur. His cold cheeks started to get warm and red. That was the first time a girl has ever touched him. Of course, he had to born from his mother but that was when he was still a baby and he had no memory of it. He didn't know why Rio didn't feel cold. Her arms felt warm. Arthur felt warm but guilty that Rio was transferring all the heat to him. _

"_Rio, are you cold?"_

"_A bit, now that I'm hugging you."_

"_Sorry." Arthur wrapped his arms around Rio and she finally fell asleep. _

By then, Rio had already fallen asleep. Her breathing was light just like before. Nothing changed. Tears gathered in Arthur's eyes when he remembered everything. But now Rio was right in front of me, alive. Why was he still sad? Getting Rio to remember things was harder than he thought. Now Rio thinks her only friend on the ship was Lars. Arthur didn't trust Lars, for his sisters were with Antonio and he used to be one of Antonio's crew. But he knew Rio would walk the plank on her own accord if he told her that. He leaned over and caressed Rio's cheek.

"You'll remember."

"Captain!" Lance yelled as he barged into Arthur's room. Arthur hastily stood up when Lance almost saw what he was doing.

"What?"

"There's a pirate ship that is nearing ours but I'm unsure if they're planning to attack or not."

"Right. Tell the crew to get in their positions. I'll see what those pirates want."

Arthur walked out of the room, leaving Rio. He carelessly forgot to lock the door. The other ship was smaller than his but looked more intimidating. He actually found it quite familiar. The pirates from the other ship got on theirs armed with swords and guns. Arthur's crew went forward to attack but he stopped them. Could this ship be…?

"Long time no see, Arthur." A red-headed pirate appeared. The other pirates addressed him as captain. He was Niall.

"Niall?"

"You've grown a lot taller and more handsome too."

"Niall, what were you thinking? Attacking my ship like that!" Arthur said as a joke. He embraced his brother and the two men started laughing with each other. His excitement got the better of him and he forgot about everything. Lars looked at Niall suspiciously. How was this guy related to someone as cruel as Arthur Kirkland? The crew on Arthur's ship dropped their weapons and went to do their work or turn in for the night. The two brothers sat at the upper deck, talking incessantly for the whole night. They wanted to know what happened to each other all these years. Lars had no other work to do, so he spied on Arthur and Niall although his crewmates advised him to turn in.

"Excuse me, Arthur. Where's the bathroom?"

"In my cabin. It's over there." Lars's eyes widened when Niall was going to Arthur's room. Wasn't Rio resting there? Or was she in the other cabin reading letters? Lars could tell that Arthur cared about Rio, so he wouldn't let a man, especially a pirate, go into his room while Rio was still there. But Lars went there anyway, just to make sure Rio wasn't in the cabin. Unfortunately, Niall closed the door behind him and there were no windows. Before Niall headed for the bathroom, he saw a figure on the bed. It was probably Arthur's whore or something. Niall headed for the bed and pulled the covers down gently. He was astonished to see that same girl. Why was she still alive? He remembered he tried to kill her fifteen years ago but now she was older and prettier. The fact that she was lying on Arthur's bed made Niall think she was seducing Arthur for some reason like what he thought fifteen years ago.

"It's a pity you have to die though you're so beautiful." Niall mumbled as he got nearer to Rio. He definitely had to have fun with her before killing her. After all, wouldn't it be a pity if she died a virgin? He gently removed her jacket and started unbuttoning her shirt. She was in such a deep sleep, hence unaware of what Niall was doing. After removing her shirt, he leaned down and bit her neck cruelly.

"Wha-" She said as she was half-awake. She rubbed her eyes to see more clearly. "Who are you? What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Questions were swimming in Rio's mind. She remembered Arthur was in the room before she fell asleep and now there was a stranger on top of her. Did the ship get attacked? What happened to Arthur and Lars? If it really did, why didn't she hear anything?

"Bitch, you're getting raped and you're still putting up an act of not remembering anything."

"Get off me!"

Rio struggled to get off the bed but Niall was too strong. He pinned her down on the bed and kissed her before she could scream or cry for help. "The more you resist, the more painful this will be!" He ripped off her corset, leaving her chest bare. He smirked seductively at how beautiful her body was and continued to rape her. Tears fell from Rio's eyes as she thought of Arthur and Lars dead. Killed by the man who was currently raping her. She knew they didn't want this to happen so she decided to use all her strength to save herself. She bit his neck with all her might, causing him pain. He pushed her off and rubbed his neck. It was bleeding. Rio used this opportunity to cry for help. Angrily, Niall grabbed Rio's neck and started to strangle her. Things started to come back to her. She remembered the same face and arms that were strangling her but didn't know why he did that.

"_Stay away from my brother!"_

"_I d-don't know w-what you're t-talking about!"_

"_Listen, he is my brother! You may be another competitor for food in this forest but I don't want you to use him to get your food. I know he's been giving you good stuff like a hog or rabbit while you've been returning him with crap like so called 'herbs'!"_

Rio remembered Niall strangled her fifteen years ago but she couldn't really remember the reason why. She assumed it was because he wanted her to stay away from his brother. But who was his brother? She had no energy to think of that anymore since she was almost running out of breath. Fortunately, the grip on her neck loosened when Lars barged into the room. Rio immediately covered her chest with a blanket when she realized her chest was bare. Without asking, Lars quickly analyzed what happened and punched Niall. He grabbed his collar but let him go once Arthur came into the room.

"I heard a scream. What happened and why are you assaulting my brother?"

"Glad that you're finally here, _captain_. This asshole was trying to rape and kill Rio. Thankfully I was here to save her while you were off celebrating about meeting your stupid brother again!"

"Niall…"

"You're his brother?" Rio asked. "If you're his brother then that means…" Everything soon came back to Rio. Images of a younger Arthur came into her mind. She remembered trading food with him and spending that one night with him. She couldn't remember what happened after that.

"Rio, I can explain." Arthur said.

"So what you said was true…" Niall took this chance to escape but Lars grabbed him and threw him on the floor, knocking him out cold. "You said you were my childhood friend…it's true."

"Rio, you remember?" Rio nodded slightly. Arthur embraced her as tears of joy trickled down his face. She was his Rio again. Arthur was so happy that he didn't notice that he had no part in saving Rio. "Rio, I'm so glad."

Meanwhile, after Lars made sure Niall was knocked out cold, he handed him to one of the crew. He didn't want to take him to dungeon room by himself. He wanted to see if Rio was okay. However, after finding out about what happened to their captain, the other ship's crew started attacking Arthur's crew. Lars gave instructions to the crew on his own and went to check on Rio. He was stumped when he saw Arthur and Rio in each other's arms when Arthur caused Rio to nearly get raped. He suddenly felt extremely heartbroken and betrayed. But he maintained his composure and went on to fight. He was still working for Arthur and Rio didn't need his comfort or help anymore. Now that they so called 'found each other', he felt like he was kicked aside. He told the crew not to inform Arthur or Rio in case it would disturb their little reunion. The crew were able to handle Niall's small group easily anyway.

"Um, Arthur, I would like to dress myself now."

"Oh, right, I'm sorry."

"Crap."

"What?"

"My only corset and it's torn. What am I going to do?"

"Then just wear a singlet."

"But everything will be seen!"

"Just wear a singlet temporarily. I'll help you with your corset."

"You can sew?"

"Of course I can. Back in England, I learned embroidery. This should be a piece of cake!"

Speaking of England, Arthur had forgotten all about his dear wife. It has been more than two days since he attacked Portugal and he hasn't even written to the queen that it wasn't convenient for him to go back now. The pile of letters Rio was talking about must have been from England. The queen must be very worried about him. Fortunately for him, Rio hasn't read the letters yet. He didn't want her to know he was married. It was hard for him to admit it, but Arthur felt like he wanted his relationship with Rio to be more than friends. He forgot about the fact about the queen being his wife. He was in love with Rio.


	5. Be mine

"You asshole! My brother couldn't have simply died like that! I want an explanation!" Daphne yelled at Antonio. She just came back from boarding school and she didn't believe a word Antonio said about Lars' 'death'. She never had a good impression of Antonio since Lars started working for him. Now even Bel had become a part of Antonio, much to Daphne's shock and disappointment.

"Daphne, I forbid you to talk to Antonio in that tone." Bel said.

"Get away from me, you whore!" Daphne said as she pushed Bel away from her. Bel seemed to be in intense pain and couldn't get up at all. "Just because this bastard is all sweet and nice to you, doesn't mean he actually loves you!"

"That's enough, Daphne." Antonio said calmly as he helped Bel up. "Apologize to your sister."

"Not until you tell me where Lars is!"

"I _told _you. He died in that battle."

"I'll never believe that!"

"Well, what do you believe then? Do you actually think I wanted this to happen, when Lars was part of my own crew?"

"Whatever it is, I'll never believe that Lars is dead! Never!" Daphne cried. She ran out of the house in tears. Where was she going to go? What was she going to do? She was just a little schoolgirl, sponging off that tomato bastard's money. Her needs, wants and education were all paid by Antonio. Bel's heart now belonged to Antonio and she believed and listened to everything he said. Daphne believed Lars was still alive because she didn't want to alone in the world. Lars was her support, the reason why she deserved to stay in Antonio's house and make him pay for her expenses. She sat on the bench in the garden, crying for the afternoon, until Bel finally came to comfort her.

"Hey," Bel said as she sat down next to Daphne. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I know Lars is still alive!"

"If you know he's still alive then why the tears?"

"I'm sorry, Bel. For disrespecting you and calling you a whore. It's just that I really, really don't want Lars to be dead."

"I believe it too."

"You do?" Daphne quickly wiped away all her tears. "Then why do you still succumb to that tomato bastard?"

"Because I love him."

"But he doesn't love you!"

"Daphne," Bel said as her voice turned into a whisper. "I'm trying to make this as painless as possible. I can't break away from Antonio whether I love him or not."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm already physically attached to him." She said as her voice kept getting softer. "I'm pregnant."

"Bel!" Daphne's eyes widened at the shocking news. "Does he know about it?"

"Yes. He told me he loves me but only Rio Juarez Carriedo can bear his children."

"THAT BASTARD IS SO-"

"No, Daphne. I've decided to give birth to this child secretly."

"How?"

"I'll be going to Hungary. I've spoken to Elizaveta and she understands."

"It'll be hard on you, sis." Daphne said as the two sisters started to cry. "I'm so sorry." Daphne fell into Bel's arms, just like how she did when she was still a toddler. She did that because times were so bad. The three siblings were suffering starvation and food poisoning. They were near death until Lars finally got a job on Antonio's ship. Antonio eventually fell in love with Bel and to fulfill Bel's and Lar's wishes, he sent Daphne to a good boarding school. Bel gently stroked Daphne's long, pale blonde hair as she assured her that everything was going to be okay. Daphne knew that once Antonio found out that Bel was intending on giving birth to that child, the consequences would be unimaginable.

**X**

Arthur made his way to the dungeon room after getting the key from Fox. Fox offered to go with him but Arthur wanted to go by himself. Now that Rio had remembered everything, Arthur wanted to make it up to her by teaching Niall a lesson. He didn't care if people said he chose friends over family, because Rio was definitely an exception. He unlocked the door and came in as he saw Niall sitting next to the skeleton, which used to be a prisoner who died in the dungeon room without anyone knowing. Niall glanced at him and gave him a smirk which angered Arthur.

"You know I'll be executing you. Why are you so happy?"

"I'm not happy. Just what the hell is that girl to you?"

"She's my friend. Of course I'll be pissed if you rape her."

"But I'm your brother, Arthur. I took care of you since you were born, until that day those bastards took you away. She's just a friend, or maybe just an acquaintance."

Arthur grabbed Niall's collar. "What are you driving at?"

"You're totally bewitched by her. Yet I haven't even asked you why she was on your bed that night."

"So what if I've fallen for her?"

"You don't get it. If you were actually the cruelest pirate in the world, you would have raped her to death the moment she stepped on this ship. But you didn't. In fact, you even took her friend in. Are you even Arthur Kirkland anymore?"

"Well maybe I want to change for her!"

"Are you even a man? Changing your own personality for a woman? You are so-"

Niall was interrupted when Arthur's fist made contact with his face. "I don't need to hear your sexist remarks."

"I'm right, Arthur. You two will fall in love, get married and have kids. Your happily-ever-after story will reach a climax there, which is when you regret everything you did."

"I said I don't need your remarks!" Arthur kicked Niall in the stomach, causing him to vomit blood. "I've decided to do the execution tomorrow, in front of Rio. The sooner I get of rid of you, the better!" He let go of Niall's collar and went out of the room, locking the door behind him. Meanwhile, Lars was teaching Rio how to shoot from a gun or rifle properly. She thought it was similar to shooting arrows but instead of pulling a string, she had to pull a trigger which was more convenient.

"No, Rio, you don't shoot like that!"

"Then what? I thought shooting with guns was easy but it turned out to be so tiring! It wasn't like this when I learnt to shoot arrows with a bow."

"You haven't changed at all. You're still horribly lazy."

"I'm not lazy! I'm just tired!"

"I'm teaching you this just in case you land yourself in trouble and all you have is a gun. You're definitely not going to go berserk and shoot around randomly." Lars said. He stood behind Rio and put his arms around her in order to grab the gun. His hand was on hers as he helped her pull the trigger. "Now, it's best that you aim for one spot for all the dummies. The best part is the eye, although it is very hard to shoot a bullet perfecting through it. You second option is the head. Try not to shoot at the chest because complications can occur and the bullet may end up going into the dummy's arm or not shooting the dummy at all."

"_Por favor_, Lars. If I concentrate so much on the aim, I might end up getting shot before I shoot anyone." Rio said as she giggled at Lars's serious face. "I know you haven't changed at all either. You take shooting like an art or sport. No wonder you never use a gun during rushed attacks."

"Because it _is _an art. It takes full concentration to get a perfect shot. Then, you don't need to waste bullets."

"Sim, Lars. But if I die thanks to your shooting lessons, I'll come back and make you chill with me in Heaven."

"What makes you think I'll let you keep God company? Although it'll be more peaceful around here without you…"

"Hey! You take that back!"

"_Make _me." They started chasing each other on the upper deck of the ship as the other crewmembers rolled their eyes at them. Lars stopped when he saw Arthur, causing Rio to fall on him. Luckily, his body broke her fall. "Good times, Rio?" Lars whispered.

"I can see that you two have nothing to do other than chasing each other like kids."

"No, Arthur! We're totally busy!" Rio said as she tried to keep her childish and bubbly laugh down.

"I'll call it a day for the both of you. But Lars, there's a letter for you in my office cabin. I don't know why your letter is there but you may want to read it. It seems urgent."

"Yes, Captain." Lars said as his voice turned serious. He ran to the cabin hastily, hoping it was a letter from his sisters. However, it turned out to be from his sister Daphne but it wasn't good news.

_**Dearest brother,**_

_**How are you? I'm fine. Just that Bel isn't. She got pregnant with Carriedo's child but he didn't want her to deliver it because he said he only wanted to have children with his sister. I persuaded Bel to abort the baby but she instead decided to go to Hungary and deliver it. Roderich, Elizaveta's husband, came to know of her plans and informed that tomato bastard. Now I don't know where Bel is and I feel really frightened living with Carriedo. He always looks at me then stares for a long while before walking away. I'm really afraid that he might have killed Bel! Carriedo told me you were dead, but I'm not that stupid to believe him. I managed to find you through my network, thank God. But please come back, brother! I don't know what Carriedo did with Bel and what he's going to do with me!**_

_**With love from,**_

_**Daphne**_

**X**

"Tell me, Rio, have you ever thought of returning to your brother's side?" Arthur asked as he stood outside the bathroom. Rio had just finished her bath but she almost slipped on the wet floor when she heard Arthur's words.

"Are you on _crack_?"

"It's possible, you know. He's your brother after all and even if he said all those words, you shouldn't hate him for life…"

"Arthur, are you upset about Niall?" Rio said as she came out in her corset and underwear. Now that they were friends again and that they've seen quite a lot of each other, they didn't really mind.

"No I'm not!"

"There is no other reason for you to speak up for Antonio."

"Well, even if he's my brother, he raped you. And you think I can take that lying down?"

"Like you said, he _is _your brother and I really don't want you to kill him because of me."

"But he took advantage of you. He raped you, he hurt you. How can I possibly let him go for that?"

"But I don't find him that bad. I mean, at least he's better than Antonio. He took care of you for life without an ulterior motive, unlike Antonio."

"It's just that every time I look at him, I get reminded of the time he raped you and I wasn't there to save you…but Lars was there."

"Do you have something against Lars?" Rio asked angrily. "I know he used to be with Antonio but he's my friend. I don't get why every time he talks to me or teaches me something new, you _always _drag me away."

"That's because I care about you!"

"If you do then stop treating my friend like a thief!"

"It's because I love you! It's because I feel indignant that you treat me like I'm your boss while you get along so well with him! It's because I feel like you don't remember me at all! It's called jealousy, Rio, and I admit it!"

Arthur was shaking Rio now. She was speechless. Lars barged in abruptly, holding a piece of paper in his hand. He gulped when he noticed that he might have interrupted whatever Arthur was doing to Rio. _Why am I such an idiot? _He thought. _Why do I care about it? I'm only here to inform Arthur about my leaving the ship. _Arthur let go of Rio and walked over to Lars.

"Yes, Lars?" Arthur asked, sounding a bit pissed off at Lars for interrupting such a ripe moment.

"Arth- I mean, Captain. Can we talk in your office?" Arthur nodded and the two men went to Arthur's office cabin to talk. He wondered what was so secretive that Rio, the acting captain, couldn't know. They sat down for a few minutes as Lars was hesitating. However, not wanting to waste Arthur's time, Lars began.

"Something happened to my sisters in Antonio's house. I really, really hope you can provide a ship for me to go to Madrid."

"What happened?"

"It's really none of your business."

"Lars, I can't provide a ride home for you if I don't know what it's about."

Lars sighed as he took the letter from his back pocket and put it on the desk. Arthur skimmed through the letter quickly and looked at Lars. "We'll all go. I also have something to settle with that tomato bastard."

"No, this is a personal matter. I wish to go alone!"

"I'm your captain and you do as I say!"

"Won't you spare a thought for Rio?" Arthur paused. "Think about it. Rio will never let me go to Antonio's house. I don't want to be a burden to her, nor to you or the crew."

"Alright. A trading ship will be arriving here in the evening. I'll tell them that you need a ride to Madrid then."

"Thank you."

**X**

A strong gust of wind blew at Lars's scarf. It was only seven o'clock and yet the temperature was fourteen degrees Celsius and the sun was already down. He was getting ready to board the ship right after the crew finished loading all the boxes of goods onto Arthur's ship. He knew Rio was standing right next to him, keeping an eye on the goods but he couldn't look at her. He felt her eyes on him but he continued to stare at the ground, not wanting to see her sad face.

"Don't go…" She sobbed.

"I have to, for Daphne and Bel."

"At least let us go with you, so that my mind will be at ease and we can help you beat the crap out of Antonio."

"I said I don't want to be a burden. This is my family matter and I have to resolve it by myself."

She looked away and started to weep softly. "I don't know what's going to happen to you if you appear in front of Antonio." She then turned to Lars and hugged him from behind, her tears wetting his jacket. "Just remember to come back with yourself, Daphne and Bel all safe and sound, alright?" She sniffed. If it weren't for the sake of his sisters, she would never let him go take on Antonio alone. Lars sighed as he grabbed Rio's arms and shook them off gently. He was also crying but he was an expert at hiding his tears. To others, he looked like he has never cried in his entire life before. Of course, he had to raise and support his sisters at a young age and he had to look strong for them. Rio admired him for that. He took one more look at Rio, who he couldn't really leave in Arthur's care and boarded the ship.

**X**

_Eight o'clock. _Rio stared at the old grandfather's clock which reminded her of her room in Antonio's house. There was music playing in the room, but Rio didn't exactly like it. It was music meant for _Tango, _the tempo was fast which didn't really fit Rio's mood. Her eyes were dry of tears and she had to do or listen to something to get Lars off her mind. How was Lars now? Did he manage to reach Madrid? What was Antonio going to do to him? Rio was so deep in thought that he barely noticed Arthur walk into the room.

Arthur frowned. "Still worried about Lars?"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? I could have persuaded him to let us go with him."

"It's his family matter, we shouldn't interfere."

Rio crossed her arms, trying to look angry. Arthur stood up, walked over to the music player and changed the record to a more calming song. "Why did you change it?" Arthur walked over to Rio and held out his hand.

"Would you like to dance?" Rio stared at his hand for awhile, but danced with him anyway. Their gap between their bodies got closer as they danced and soon they were on the verge of kissing, but kept a safe 2-inches away from each other's lips.

"What you said to me today…" Rio said.

"Is true."

"Arthur, you know it isn't the time-"

"I know and I'm willing to wait."

"It's not that I'm not willing…it's just that her majesty…"

"I can talk to her. By the way, do you mean you were willing to start a relationship with me?"

"What about your crew? What if their theories about me being a whore turn out to be true?"

"They're pirates; they can talk all they want."

"But if what if it happened again?"

"What?"

"What happened last time in the forest…what if it happened again?"

"I treasure our relationship more than anything. Why else would I keep you on this ship?" Before Rio could say anything else, Arthur leaned over and kissed her. It was a passionate yet 'forced' kiss. At first, she tried to break the kiss but soon starting kissing back. Rio felt as if her mind was turned off and her heart was doing all the work. She wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss as they both started helping each other strip. Arthur didn't know whether doing this was correct or wrong, but he couldn't stop. Sweat started to gather at his forehead and he blushed when he saw her bare body. He proceeded to kiss her neck and slightly biting it. It was a little painful, but she enjoyed it. He kissed and bit her from her neck, to her breasts and to her stomach when he saw her untouched thong. He glanced back at her, looking a bit sad.

"Why'd you stop?" She whispered.

"Is this right? Me, taking your virginity just like that."

"But I want you to."

He thought about it for awhile and realized that if he was the only one Rio ever loved, he would be her first and last one. He gave her a smirk then started to slip the thin piece of fabric down her legs. He put his hands on her waist and slowly thrust into her, causing her to moan and scream in pain and pleasure. He could see the pain she felt but she was trying her best not to scream again. He kissed her neck, trying to reduce the pain for her.

That night, was the night of their lives.

**Author's note: Ok first of all – I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and not hate me for the lemons part! To be honest, it wasn't easy to write but I wrote it anyway! Now it's waaaaay past my bedtime and I have school tomorrow so I'm off to sleep now! Thanks for reading and look forward to the next chapter! **


	6. Stranded

Daphne screamed as she saw her brother's blood spill from his skull, causing him to collapse. It has not even been an hour since Lars arrived at the house and he looked like he was on the verge of death. He glared back at Antonio who had a smug smirk on his face. Daphne felt nothing but fear and guilt. Maybe she shouldn't have sent that letter. Maybe she should have went to find Lars on her own instead of sending him a stupid letter, making her look like a weak crybaby. She thought she was very stupid for not knowing that Antonio was anticipating Lars' arrival. Bel was missing and now Lars was near death. If this was the end of Lars, Daphne knew that she was next for she was the one who sent that letter behind Antonio's back. Daphne's knees hit the ground as tears filled her eyes.

"Please, don't kill Lars…" She cried but soon started to yell. "PLEASE!"

"Daphne…" Lars mumbled as the pain from his wounds got to him. He remembered what he promised Rio, to come back safe and sound with Bel and Daphne. His mind and body wanted to give up. Antonio was much faster than him and had more dexterity. If he stood up, he could easily get another stab from Antonio. However, his heart would ache every time he thought of all loved ones. How would Daphne, Rio and Bel react to his death? As much as he wanted Antonio dead, he didn't want any of his sisters or Rio charging at him crazily. It was just too dangerous.

"Get up." Antonio said softly.

"Just…just tell me where Bel is. If you want her, you can take her…just let me see her!" Lars said with sobs in between his words. "Keep me alive and I'll take Daphne off your hands. You and Bel can live happily ever after and I won't lay a finger on the both of you!"

Antonio's smirk disappeared. He stepped on Lars' back brutally as Lars saw anger in the man's eyes. "You know that's not what I want…"

Lars' eyes widened. He knew what Antonio wanted. However, he had to catch his breath before he could make any promises. Feigning ignorance, Lars said, "What do you want then?"

"Rio."

"Well, I don't _own _her!" Lars was shocked at his own harsh words. Daphne was shocked as well, although she hated Rio to the core. "I can't give her to you if she doesn't belong to me."

"Exactly." Antonio looked like he had a plan. Lars feared it, yet he was dying to know about it.

**X**

"Wake up, Rio." Arthur whispered. It was the morning after that night and Rio felt like she had a hangover. She refused to wake up although she knew that she was fully naked in the bed. There were bags under her eyes from the crying last night so she hid them away from Arthur. Her back was facing him as she groaned lazily. She waved her arm in the air, signaling him to go away. "Rio, don't make me do this." Arthur leaned down and kissed Rio on the neck. Startled, she sat up immediately and covered her chest with the covers. Arthur had seen it all, but walking around naked in the room was just plain unladylike. She noticed that the room was still in a mess from last night. Clothes and accessories were scattered on the floor. It reminded her of Lars, what a neat freak he was. She started to cry again at the thought of Lars but immediately held back her tears.

"Arthur, do you think Lars will be okay?" Rio said, trying to sound as firm as she can.

"I'm sure he's fine." Arthur assured her as he kissed her forehead. "I'll be executing Niall today."

"Arthur, I thought I told you not to do it."

"It must be done."

"But I really don't mind. I just want to know what he has to say."

"Fine. But just to-"

"Sim, sim. You're doing this because you love me. Now get on with your work." Rio said as she kissed Arthur on the lips before he left. She picked up her corset on the floor, picked up a few clothes and went to the bathroom. She had used some of Arthur's clothes to make her own just by cutting around. It may look a bit revealing but it was worth it since the weather got hotter and hotter every day. Being used to the warm weather in Portugal, she still couldn't understand how Arthur could stand wearing those clothes. She turned on the shower, the cool water washing the sweat and other impurities off her skin. She was now officially Arthur's woman and she felt good about it. There was nothing else to worry about except Lars who she was confident would come back and tell everyone that he successfully crushed Antonio. Although she misses Lars, she also hopes he could have his own ship and be a captain himself instead being bossed around all the time. She didn't care about Antonio. Since the day he called her a slut, she knew that he wanted nothing to do with her. After drying herself, Rio slipped on her clothes and went outside.

Surprisingly, it was quite a windy morning. Nobody was outside. Everyone was either having their breakfast or gambling. It seemed like a day off for everyone. Before heading to the kitchen to have her breakfast, Rio went to the Arthur's office cabin to check the letters. The moment she walked in, she saw a startled Arthur stuffing a bunch of crumpled pieces of paper into the drawer. She immediately went to the drawer to take the papers out but Arthur stopped her.

"Arthur, what is that?"

"Nothing, it's confidential!"

"Confidential?" Rio's blood started to boil. "I slept with you!"

"No, don't read it!"

Rio pushed Arthur's arms away and hastily opened the drawer and took the papers which were crumpled into balls. She opened them up and read them. They were all urgent letters from the queen, telling Arthur to go back to London immediately. Some of them were formal and had reasons for him to go back while others were just the queen's personal letters telling him she misses him. Rio's heart was heavy with guilt as she thought of another woman heartbroken because of her. She put the letters on the desk in front of her and glanced at Arthur.

"You have to go back."

"Never."

"But Arthur, she's your queen, your legal wife! As a woman, I empathize with her. I can tell that she misses you badly."

"But you're the one I love, not her! Once I go back, you'll be alone and I have to live the rest of my life in fear, serving her. I don't think you want that and neither do I!"

"Arthur, just think about it. Please?" Before Arthur could say anything, Rio walked out of the cabin. She felt resentment towards Arthur for treating his wife like that. She also felt resentment towards the queen for not letting her be with the man she loves. She went to the kitchen where she was served a hearty breakfast of sausages, potatoes and scones. The food looked very delicious but she had no appetite. Trying to look normal, she picked up a scone and sunk her teeth in the soft dough. She managed to swallow a few pieces but immediately covered her mouth and ran to the bathroom. Her hands clung onto the toilet seat as she puked into the toilet bowl. She knew English food sucked, but she had no idea it could come back out so fast. She flushed the toilet and washed her hands, mouth and face. However, that wasn't her only trip to the bathroom to puke. She had to come back several times. Not only to puke, she also had to use the toilet more often than normal. Arthur had asked her about it but she kept her opinion on the scones to herself. She hoped it was simply food poisoning or indigestion and not some kind of stomach disease.

She had thoughts of the worst that could also be the best. That day she had herself checked and it turned out to be true. There was no food poisoning, no indigestion, and no stomach or colon disease. She was pregnant. It was the worst yet best thing that could ever happen to her. She knew that Arthur fathered the baby but she kept quiet. She considered the queen's feelings first. Why? She admired the woman. The queen was such a great figure. Rio hoped that she could easily get rid of the baby secretly but every time she daydreamed about how it would be like, the way it cried for its mother to not let it die, she wanted to give birth to it. But how could she do it without letting Arthur know? If Arthur ever found out about this child, he would never go back to London. He might go back to tell his queen he was leaving her but Rio didn't want that.

**X**

_Giggles of a baby were heard as she woke up and saw it playing in its crib. It had no kin or kith but was waiting for it to be attached to a woman's body on Earth so he could experience life there. It was also so that he could feel the love from his parents and possibly siblings. When was it going to be his turn? She walked over to the crib and touched the baby's fading head. She was so close to him, yet so far. She wanted to ask for God's permission to bring this beautiful baby into the world, but how could God let it experience life on Earth without a father's love? She cried and begged and wept and whimpered but God still rejected her. Soon the baby disappeared, totally out of her reach._

Rio woke up, sweat gathering at her forehead. She had a nightmare. However, she was also awoken by the sounds of screaming and yelling in outside. No wonder Arthur wasn't there to wake her up. There was an attack on the ship. She immediately got off the bed, got dressed and prepared to fight. However, she stopped when she thought of the baby. She couldn't risk it. She sat down and pondered about whether to fight or not. Out of the blue, Arthur barged into the cabin, blood flowing from his wounds.

"Rio, thank god! I need your help."

"No, Arthur! I can't-"

"Niall's crew attacked us! Majority of the crew are dead or passed out. I know you're a good fighter, so I need you to help."

"Arthur, I can't help!"

"Rio, I understand that I am putting your life in danger but I have confidence in you. These pirates are just beginners, they're not your match."

"No, you don't understand! I can't help because I'm pregnant!"

"What?" Arthur let his guard down then and got hit by a pirate standing behind him. The pirate was twice Arthur's size and could kill someone just by sitting on them. He had a pierced nose and ear, his hair was shoulder-length and his stomach was fat and bulging out of his shirt. Rio immediately grabbed her sword for protection. The pirate chuckled at her, thinking she had idea how to use a sword. She indeed had no idea how to use it properly. She had always used a bow and an arrow but what kind of pirate used that to fight? She tried to use the sword to distract the pirate and she jumped up and kicked his jaw. He collapsed as blood spilled out of his mouth from his broken jaw. By then, there was a pool of Arthur's blood on the floor and he was nowhere to be seen. Did the pirates take him away? Rio ran out of the cabin to look for Arthur but she couldn't find him. Suddenly, someone kicked her shin, causing her to lose her balance and fall. It was Niall. He knelt down and took out a syringe with a mysterious liquid in it. Rio didn't know what it was but she knew he was going to inject it into her. She screamed a 'no', moving her legs anxiously so that Niall couldn't get a good aim. He didn't care. He swiftly stuck the sharp needle into her flesh, causing her to shriek. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw the liquid go into her blood, into her body. She pulled the syringe out, but it was too late. Most of the liquid in the syringe had already entered her body.

Before she could get on her feet, Niall took out his sword and slid the blade down Rio's eye. She was fast enough to close her eye so it won't get damaged but she knew she had a hideous scar on her eye now. She touched her eyelid gently and was shocked to see blood and some kind of venomous bug. She started to hallucinate and everything started to bend into something entirely different and frightening. The venomous bugs were crawling out of the scar on her eye, feeding on her skin, flesh, eyes and insides. She felt like she was getting thrown into a sea full of dead bodies, pulling her down with them. She screamed. A scream so high-pitched that she could barely catch her breath. She didn't want it anyway. The scene around her made her want to die right there. In reality, she was floating on the water surface, eyes wide open and her body was idle. But she felt like she was continuously falling and that the bugs had fed on all her flesh and she was only left with her skeleton. The thoughts were terrifying and Rio couldn't take it anymore. She put herself to sleep.

_Why did you lose me again? Where are you? Where is our baby? Is he alright? Are you alright?_

**X**

Rio woke up the sixth time because of a nightmare. She had woken up repeatedly but only to find herself on water. She wanted something to eat her up and end her pain but this time she woke up on a shore. Her skin was red and burning from the hot sand as she stood up. She found herself on an island. She hoped that it was an island in the Azores. She stood up but only to collapse on the shore again because her arms and legs were sore and itchy. She remembered Niall's attack and the liquid he put in her body. What was it? She tried her best not to remember those horrible hallucinations. She wanted to know how long had it been since the attack. She wanted to know if everyone was okay, especially Arthur. She removed her ripped jacket and cut off the sleeves of her shirt and made her pants shorts. She knew she couldn't possibly survive for more than a month on that island. It was tropical and probably had some fruits growing here and there but no wild animals to feed on. Meat was what she needed for strength to build a boat and go find Arthur. The only thing on her mind was Arthur and the baby. The baby! She rubbed her lower abdomen gently and thanked god that the baby still survived. She had no idea how it was still alive after all those hallucinations and being thrown into the sea. She started to have hope that she would survive all this and be able to find Arthur again and give birth to her child safely. What she and the baby needed was nutrition. Standing on two feet seemed like a feat to her now but she was able to move, at least. She staggered around. Though it seemed like a tropical island, there were no sign of fruits! Rio couldn't walk any longer. But she couldn't rest now. She knew the baby was hungry. Soon, she spotted some berries hanging from a bush. She licked her lips as she knelt down and picked the berries. She plucked off a handful of them and just when she was about to roll them on her tongue, she heard a high-pitched voice telling her to stop.

"Don't eat that!"

Rio immediately spit the berries out anxiously as if the voice was the voice of her boss or something. She saw a dark-skinned girl in front of her wearing a light blue dress. Her hair was brown and tied in pigtails. The girl looked like she was in her teenage years.

"Who are you? Why did you tell me to stop?"

"Those berries are poisonous! A drop of their juice on your tongue can result in a terrible death!"

"I don't believe you! You're probably saying that to drive me away so you can eat them!" Rio picked another handful of the berries but she dropped them when the other girl slapped her hand.

"I'm telling you the truth! I _live _on this island!"

Rio paused. "Are you Portuguese?"

"No, I'm African. You are now on the island of Seychelles which is my home."

"Seychelles?" Rio thought about it. Where has she heard the name before? If the girl was African, she'd probably be somewhere near Africa. How could she have traveled so far? "What's your name?"

"I don't know either but Big Brother Francis calls me Victoria!" The girl said gleefully as she held out her hand. "So, what's your name?"

"R-Rio. Rio Juarez Carriedo."

"Nice to meet you! Are you a tourist? I love tourists! Although I rarely have any…"

"No…I got stranded here."

"Oh…sorry to hear that. Where did you come from?"

"I don't know. But I'm Portuguese."

"Really? Wow. I heard from my big brother that that place is quite near his home!"

"You have a big brother?"

"Yep. His name is Francis Bonnefoy! He's French, but you could probably tell that from his name."

"That name sounds familiar…"

"It does? You could be a friend of my brother then! But he rarely visits because he's just so busy."

Rio somehow found talking this girl very easy. She got along with her and enjoyed talking to her. She was grateful that she at least wasn't alone on the island and she could have a friend to help her. Rio could see the empathy and pity in Victoria's eyes when she told her about the pirate attack and that she was pregnant. She didn't like people taking pity on her but now she really needed it. Victoria promised to help her build a ship back home and keep the fetus alive as well. Rio couldn't ask for more. However, she found the name Francis Bonnefoy very familiar. She could have met this person when she was still with Antonio but it could also be a common name in the country of France.


	7. Found

Rio woke up early to prepare breakfast for Victoria although she was suffering from fatigue and usually slept in. Victoria slept in pretty late that morning, which was probably because of Rio's night terrors. It seems like the drug in Rio's body hasn't left yet. She felt guilty that she would still have night terrors for the next few days, depriving Victoria of her sleep. She had a lot of gory nightmares about Lars and Arthur. She was frightened to the extent that the nightmare turned into a night terror and woke up and started to scream and hurt herself. Victoria, although only a fifteen-year-old, could easily solve such problems better than adults. She would sing Rio to sleep. She told Rio that when she was young, her older brother would often sing her to sleep as well. Rio didn't know that such a strategy worked so well. While Rio used the vegetables in Victoria's house to make the meal, she forgot the main course: fish. She used to catch fish using her arrows but now all she had were spears. The spears looked like arrows just that they were longer and heavier. She grabbed two spears and went off to catch fish.

As Rio walked closer to the shore, she found it harder to catch fish. She didn't think about the difference between catching fish in the sea and catching fish in a river. She tried her best but to no avail. There was no fish, not even those tiny ones on the shallow part of the sea. She couldn't go all the way to deep part, knowing it the salt in the water would damage the dress that Victoria lent her. She was exhausted and decided to give up and go back to the house where she found Victoria awake and digging into the fruits.

"How do you survive just eating fruits?" Rio asked as she sat down in front of Victoria.

"Well, an excessive amount of it gives me as much energy as a small portion of meat. Also, I never eat seafood."

"Why?"

"First, it's a bit unhealthy since it came from the sea. Second, after living here for all my life, the fish are kind of like my friends. They were the only ones I could interact or play with when Big Brother Francis wasn't here but now I've got you."

"I'm not really that…social."

"It's okay, neither am I. By the way, do you like seafood?" Rio shook her head. She didn't want to offend Victoria by eating her friends after all she's done.

"Victoria, would you like to try living in a palace?" Rio hoped to make Victoria her benefactor once she got off the island. A separate palace was built for heroes and benefactors of the royal family and the personifications of the country. The palace was a bit deserted because there were no heroes in the modern times due to the security. Victoria could live all alone in a huge palace with maids and servants serving her everyday all because she saved Rio's life. Sadly, Victoria shook her head. Rio was bewildered. Who would reject an offer like that? Some conmen in Portugal pretend to be heroes or benefactors just so they could live a life of luxury in the palace.

"Well…Big brother Francis has asked me a question like that before but I always say no."

"Why? Do you know the number of people who have better lives than you are dying to live in a palace?"

"It's because this _is _my home. The fish are my friends so I'm never alone. I have a roof over my head and sufficient food. I've lived here all my life, why should I move?"

"I see…so you're used to the living conditions here?"

"Living conditions!" Victoria hollered. She threw her makeshift fork on the table angrily and stomped away. Rio regretted saying that and hoped that Victoria won't kick her out or anything. She sighed as she picked up the plate of fruits that Victoria was eating and prepared to throw the fruits away. Suddenly, Victoria stepped into the kitchen.

"Don't throw it away. I wasn't finished."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Sorry for yelling at you just now. I just really hate it when people insult my home. Sometimes when Big Brother Francis talks about that, I throw fragile things at him."

**X**

Arthur's eyes fluttered open and found himself lying on sand. He struggled to sit up. His limbs were so sore that moving them was painful. All his body parts were causing him pain. His limbs were sore, his head was aching, his stomach couldn't shut up and his eyes were dry and red from the sand. He looked around and realized he was on a tropical island. He was not used to the tropical climate. He felt the extreme heat burning his skin and flesh. He remembered being knocked out by Niall's pirate and letting Rio deal with it. His eyes started to tear at the thought of Rio. He tried to recall what she said to him before he got knocked out but he couldn't remember. He knew well that he had to quickly build a new ship and find Rio and the rest of his crew but fatigue and pain took over him. He lay back down on the sand, the hot grains burning his back as he quickly dozed off.

**X**

Daphne was lying in a bathtub filled with warm bubble water. Her hair, now cut shoulder-length, was tied into a high bun. Her blue eyes were covered with green contacts and she stared sadly at the dress next to her. The dress was pale blue and it reminded her of Bel. She held back her tears. She couldn't let Antonio see them. Why did she have to succumb to this? Tears of hatred began to fill her eyes as she remembered what Lars did. He forced her to change herself to look like Bel for Antonio's benefit. She remembered that fateful day. She was knocked out and she had no idea what happened to Lars. This time, she really believed he died. If he were alive, he would not let her impose as Bel for Antonio's sake. But he died, letting her suffer all this. She knew she was alone and once she disobeyed Antonio, he wouldn't give a hoot about Bel and teach Daphne a lesson on his own.

Daphne reached for the towel to dry herself and also making sure the door to the bathroom was locked. She didn't want Antonio or any annoying maids to come in and bother her. She reached for the dress and slipped into it. After that, she wore a green hair band and wore new contact lenses. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw Bel. The reflection frowned at her, probably angry for stealing its look. Daphne looked away. She didn't want to see the disappointed face of her sister. She felt like her heart was being crushed by a huge block of guilt. There were many things she shouldn't have done. She shouldn't have sent that letter to Lars and she shouldn't have agreed to impose as Bel. She could have kept Lars and herself alive if she just stayed in that house and listened to whatever Antonio told her. She loathed everyone. She loathed Antonio for killing all her loved ones, she loathed Rio for letting Bel keep a useless fetus, she loathed Bel for making her guilty and she loathed Lars for dying and abandoning her. If she could turn back time, she would want to die on the streets of Amsterdam instead of pretending to be Antonio's woman. She'd rather live a life of poverty and one-meal-a-week than let her brother work for a monster. It was bottled up in her chest for more than a decade, but she never said a word.

Just when Daphne was about to sit down and have her afternoon tea that was laid out on the coffee table for her, a maid walked in. Daphne rolled her eyes at the annoying maid. The maid apologized for interrupting her tea and told her that Antonio was going out to sea and wanted Daphne to go with him. Daphne had a straightforward 'no' lingering at her throat but she agreed. The maid thanked her and left the room. Daphne loved to travel but not with Antonio. She would pretend to be seasick so that Antonio could let her go home. She lazily got out her suitcase and randomly threw in her sister's dresses. They were all bright-colored and tailored. She could touch, or even look at such dresses all thanks to Antonio. But Daphne knew such gifts were out of lust, not love. She felt her eyes tearing again when she thought about Bel. She folded the dresses and put them in her suitcase. She wasn't allowed to keep Antonio waiting for too long. But where were they going? Why did he want her to come with her? These questions were in her head but she never dared to ask them.

**X**

Rio looked at herself in the mirror. She lifted her shirt a bit and was shocked to see the size of her tummy. It was growing drastically which was what she feared. She didn't want to give birth to the child on the island as she thought it would not survive. She also didn't want Victoria to go all around looking for food that is suitable for the baby. Normal babies wait nine months till they could finally be delivered but this one seemed impatient. Despite how much Rio loved the baby, she got annoyed with the morning sickness and her moodiness affecting Victoria. There was no milk on the island which would cause the baby in her to fidget and whine. For the past few days, Victoria had stuffed her with fruits, herbs and even bird meat.

Rio never really thought about it, but what was she going to do after the baby was born? Even if Victoria did manage to build a ship for her, she couldn't possibly go back to Portugal and tell her bosses she had a one-night stand with some random guy. Her bosses would believe Arthur raped her and go hunting for him. Apart from Victoria, she had no friends. She had no idea what happened to Lars and his sisters and she didn't want to think about them because it would just make her sad. All her loved ones were gone but she didn't know where. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Victoria come in.

"You're pretty big now. Are you sure you don't want to deliver it here? The boat's barely an eighth done."

"No offense or anything…but will it be able to survive here?"

"Of course! It doesn't need much anyway. Just your breast milk will do the trick."

"I really don't know what to do after I deliver it. I actually kind of regret having it."

"Don't say that! Every baby is a gift from God!"

"I guess you're right…"

"Anyway, I came here to ask you if you want to go hunting with me. I know your bump is giving you a lot of pain but we need to stuff you with more meat. I know you're skilled in archery, so I spent last night making this."

Rio's eyes widened at the sight of arrows. It's been so long since she's seen them. They were made out of wood with sharp rock as blades. Real feathers were attached to the end of the arrow. There was also a wooden bow and strong string. There were fifteen arrows in total and Rio couldn't thank Victoria more for making them. It was not long before Rio noticed Victoria putting her hands behind her back. Rio grabbed Victoria's hands and was saddened at the sight of cuts and scars on Victoria's beautiful hands.

"Victoria, you're making me feel guilty."

"These are nothing, really. I get them everyday whenever I go out to pick fruit."

"But your hands-"

"-will heal." Victoria gave Rio a very gleeful smile and handed her the arrows and bow. Rio couldn't help feeling useless but at least she has arrows now and she can finally hunt and kill as much prey as she wants. She found it much easier than using a sword or gun. She left the house with Victoria and they both went separate ways to look for food after Victoria briefed Rio on what birds she should hunt. Though Rio's bump was causing her legs to ache, she was determined to get as much meat as possible so that Victoria would have a supply after she leaves. The arrows were heavier than normal because of the blades but she managed to get what she wanted anyway.

The day ended quickly with Rio having six birds in her hands. She was already exhausted although she had several rests in between her hunts. She was just about to call it a day when a human arm suddenly popped out of the bushes. She almost shrieked at the sight of it. It had a several bruises and gashes. Could it be a dead body? Or was it Victoria? She pressed her fingers against the wrist of the human arm and found out that the owner of the arm was still alive. She took out a small knife and cut the bushes. She shrieked at the sight of a blonde man, lying motionless on the ground wounded. He looked like Arthur, but Rio wasn't so sure herself. She convinced herself it was Arthur after seeing the thick eyebrows above his eyes. What was Rio going to do? Take him back to Victoria's house? Would it even be pleasant for Victoria to have another mouth to feed? She rested her hand on Arthur's forehead, but shuddered due to the heat of it. He had a high fever. That must be the reason why he was unconscious. Sighing, Rio tried to lift Arthur up but his weight was too much for her. It was getting dark and Rio had to go back to the house before she lost her way. She tried dragging Arthur but the shrubs and other small plants would pierce his skin.

An hour had passed as Rio tried to move Arthur. She wondered if Victoria was waiting for her or had gone looking for her. Every part of the forest looked the same in the dark. Rio groaned at her uselessness. How could she lose her way that easily? Tired, she sat down. For the next two hours, she constantly tried to lower Arthur's temperature. She assumed it was unsuccessful since he was still unconscious. However, she didn't give up. She just wanted him to wake up. She ripped a piece of cloth from Victoria's dress, hoping she won't mind. She soaked the blue fabric in cold water and put it on Arthur's forehead. She used another piece of fabric to clean his face which was covered in sand and blood. Suddenly, a horrible smell stung Rio's nostrils. It was the smell of rotting flesh. Instinctively, she ripped open's Arthur shirt to find a huge gash covering his upper abdomen. It must have been untreated for days. She got some salt water and rubbed it on the gash. The pain of the salt coming in contact with his naked flesh caused Arthur to wake up. Rio didn't say anything, she just focused on treating the wound. She knew her ointment would be useful now but she had no idea where to find the herbs in the island, or whether the island even had the correct herbs.

"R-Rio?"

She didn't reply.

"Is it really you? Oh, it's a miracle!" Rio still kept quiet. Arthur stared at her and noticed the difference in the size of her tummy. "Rio, that's-"

"There you are!" Victoria jumped out of the bushes. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Victoria!" Rio finally spoke.

"Who's this?" Victoria and Arthur asked in unison.

"I'm Rio's benefactor."

"I'm Rio's husband."

"So you must be the bastard that got her pregnant and landed her here!"

"Pregnant?" Arthur looked at Rio with an ecstatic grin. He looked as if he no longer felt the pain of his wounds or that rotting gash on his abdomen. "I'm going to become a father?"

"Oh cut the act, you scumbag!" Victoria yelled. "I'm _not _taking _you _in."

"Victoria," Rio said. "He needs it."

"What? Rio, you-"

"He's got a high fever and a festering wound on his upper abdomen."

"Well, fine. I guess I should keep him alive so I beat him up after he recovers."

Victoria and Rio brought Arthur back to the house where Rio was able to make the ointment after Victoria got her the herbs. Rio feared the ointment might be pointless since the wound had rotted to that extent. Arthur was gritting his teeth, trying to endure the pain of the ointment on his wound. While Rio was working on the gash, Victoria was trying to lower Arthur's temperature. Because Arthur already had a bad first impression on Victoria, he refused to cooperate with her and made trouble for her.

"Damn it, bastard! Keep still!" Victoria yelled.

"Let Rio do it. She'd be gentler."

"Why you little immature piece of-"

"Sorry, Victoria. Let me take over."

"Okay. Good night!" Victoria said to Rio before going to her room to turn in. Now that Arthur was alone with Rio, he took the chance to talk about her pregnancy.

"Rio, about the fetus-"

"It's a _baby_, a child. A human being, not just a cluster of cells."

"I know. So, what are you planning to do with it?"

Rio glared at Arthur for his wrong words. "I'm going to keep it, what else?" Her voice was bitter.

"Then I'll leave Elizabeth."

"As if it's that easy, Arthur. She'll never agree."

"She's not exactly my wife, she's just my queen. I have the freedom to love whoever I love."

"Yes, Arthur, she's a queen! The current ruler of England. Once she finds out what we've done, we're _both _in for hell. It's not like she won't probe you for the reason you're leaving her."

"But it's a matter of my feelings! I really love you, Rio. I love this baby too. Even if I stay with the queen, there's no doubt that I'll go looking for you again." Arthur kissed Rio passionately. He kissed her like he hasn't seen her in years, although it had only been a week or so. He grabbed the back of her thigh and sat her on his lap as he deepened the kiss. He began to slip the sleeve of Rio's dress off when she immediately broke the kiss. She stood up and adjusted her sleeve.

"Not here, Arthur. And definitely not now."

Arthur shrugged. He just wanted them to be alone. Although he knew he was in Victoria's house, he didn't give much of a damn. He yearned for the same night he spent with Rio when she became his. Rio yearned for it as well, but she was too embarrassed to do it in Victoria's house. It could also affect the baby. She removes Arthur's clothes, all wet and blood-stained. She blushed when she came to his boxers. She has seen him naked of course, but what would Victoria say? Arthur chuckled at Rio's embarrassed face.

"You are so adorable." He said as he slipped his boxers down.

"No, don't!"

"What? It's just the two of us. And that brat has already gone to bed."

"Fine, but use this to cover yourself." Rio took some covers from her bed and made Arthur cover himself. She took his clothes and brought them outside to wash. Before she washed his trousers, she found a piece of crumbled and wet paper in his back pocket. The ink was smudged and Rio's could really read what it was saying but it seemed like a letter from the queen. She was already starting to threaten Arthur, about how she was going to send ships around to look for him. The rest of the letter mentioned things about execution. Rio made an annoyed face at the letter. She knew the queen wanted Arthur to go back urgently, but was there a need to send more than a thousand knights around looking for him? Her annoyed look soon disappeared when she saw Antonio's name in the letter.

**X**

"Two can play at that game." Antonio mumbled as he raised his sword in the air in front of a trembling British. His sword cut through the man's weak skull, and cut the brain into the half. It was as if the pandemonium in Lisbon repeated itself but this time in London. "Bel will be proud of me." Antonio stared back the ship where Daphne was being locked in the cabin. She had found out about Antonio's plan and was locked in the cabin when she tried to stop him. Daphne cried as she put her hands on her ears, keeping the whimpers and cries of innocent people out. Sounds of bombs exploding, whimpers of people and blood splattering polluted the air. Antonio was going to finish this attack. Who was the cruelest pirate now? He didn't stop for anyone, not even Daphne. He didn't care if the British declared war on the Spanish, he just wanted to attract Arthur Kirkland's attention. Wouldn't the little coward come out and save his queen?

That thought, the thought of hurting the queen made Antonio smirk.


	8. Bittersweet deaths

Beads of perspiration gathered at Lars' forehead as he dragged his sister's body out. He was in an abandoned cottage. The house looked like it was going to collapse anytime. Staying in it would be suicidal. Bel's pulse was decreasing and her breathing was much slower. Lars was just as weak, but he was thankful to be conscious. He woke up a few days ago floating motionlessly on the surface of a river and managed to find his sister in the abandoned cottage. Bel was anemic – her skin was translucent, there were bald spots on her hair and there were odd bruises appearing on her skin. Who would believe that she was still that beautiful and bubbly Bel last time? Lars hated to see his sister like this and wanted to end her misery, but he just couldn't leave her in that cottage all alone. Lars used to be able to piggyback both his sisters, now as a grown man he couldn't even handle Bel's weight. The sharp wood of the floor was piercing her skin and her cuts were continuously bleeding. A sparkle of hope kindled in Lars when Bel's eyes fluttered open.

"Bel! You're awake!"

"Brother, I-"

"We'll be okay, Bel! Just a few more steps…"

"B-Brother, it hurts…"

"I'm sorry, Bel. Bear with it. We're almost there."

"It hurts." Tears gathered in Bel's eyes.

"You'll be okay, Bel. I promise."

"But it really hurts…"

Lars knew what Bel meant. He let go of her shoulders and rested her on a softer part of the wooden floor. He removed his jacket and put it over her as he held her in his arms.

"Brother, remember that song that Mother used to sing to us whenever we refused to go to sleep?"

"Angels to watch over you?"

"Yep…if you don't mind, I'd like to hear it again."

Lars nodded, hiding his tears.

_When you go to bed at night_

_And your turn off all your lights;_

_In the dark and out of sight,_

_There's angels to watch over you._

_Later on when you go to sleep,_

_Take me off to the land of dreams;_

_Guarding you and your family,_

_Angels to watch over you._

By the time Lars had finished the second verse, Bel was already fast asleep permanently. Lars brought Bel out of the house, dug a small hole in the dirt and rested her body there. Even though he knew she couldn't hear him, he continued to sing as he buried her. Lars was glad that her last wish was fulfilled. Lars removed his scarf and put it on Bel's neck. The scarf was precious to him, it was knitted by his mother on his seventh birthday. He never let go of it since but now he was giving it to Bel. He believed that if she ever got reincarnated wearing this scarf, he would know she was his sister. After finishing the last few words of the lullaby, he left. He knew what he had promised Rio, but now he had to get Daphne.

**X**

Rio couldn't count the weeks that passed. Her tummy was so large that she couldn't even wear pants now. Standing up also seemed like a feat to her. She dreaded becoming obese after the birth of the baby. She was a woman, of course she cared a lot about her figure. She had been moody and lazy for the past few weeks, or probably months. She was too lazy to count. As for her moodiness, she refused to eat anything. She also got irritated every time Arthur walked in without knocking. Speaking of Arthur, that note she found in his pocket the other day had been with her since. It was bugging her emotionally but she was too selfish to tell Arthur about it. She had no idea what happened to the queen and she didn't want to know either. But she wasn't as ruthless to hope for the queen dead. She took out the note and read it again but hid it in an empty vase once Arthur came in.

"What are you doing here?" Rio asked with annoyance in her tone, forgetting that Arthur shared a room with her.

"This is my room?"

"Right…but still, I told you to knock whenever I'm in here!"

"Why? Hiding something from me?" Arthur joked as he leaned down and kissed Rio on the forehead. How Rio wished she could tell Arthur it was true. Arthur knelt down and kissed Rio's tummy. "By the way, have you thought of a name?"

"What name?"

"For our child."

"No." Rio's mind was too occupied by the queen's note to even think about such things.

"I was thinking Andrew, or maybe Alfred…Elizabeth sounds good for a girl, Alexandra too…what do you think?"

The name Elizabeth just made Rio feel guiltier. "Arthur," She reached her hand into the vase and pulled the note out. "This-"

"I read it."

"It's been weeks, Arthur."

"I know."

"Well, obviously _something's _happened to her!"

"Antonio can't get to her."

"Yes, but he's probably wiped out half the population in London! This has been haunting me for the past few weeks!"

"But I refuse to go back before the birth of the baby!"

"I'll go back with you, alright?"

"No, it's too dangerous."

"Arthur, I-"

"Rio, I _don't _want to lose you again! And neither do I want to lose this child!"

"Okay, fine. So what are you going to do now?"

"I'll wait for the birth of our child."

"I'm not nagging you or anything but this is serious…I don't think her majesty can stand the wait. Not to mention the time you'll take to travel from here to London."

"Then I'll send her a letter. No matter how serious it is, I have to be here for the delivery."

He kissed Rio on the lips so she couldn't say anything to change his mind. The ship Victoria built was completed, but Arthur didn't want to tell Rio. He also told Victoria to keep her lips sealed. But he knew he couldn't hide it for long, at least until after Rio's delivery. It had been a long time since his ship got attacked and probably stolen by Niall. He didn't care about Niall being still alive. He already got what he wanted. Arthur only worried about Antonio. As long as Antonio was still alive, anything related to Arthur could be affected. Arthur only knew Antonio wanted to fight with him, but he had no idea Antonio's real target was Rio.

**X**

"Damn it." Antonio murmured as the storm was approaching. He was this close to getting to the queen until the British outnumbered him and kicked him out…literally. He had no idea what happened to his crew. He was just kicked into the sea. He knew he was knocked out first then they threw him off one of their ships. He lost his compass so he probably had no idea where he was. The storm was coming quite quickly and it wasn't going to be pleasant for him on the violent waves. Suddenly, a small boat appeared with a few familiar pirates.

"Jose! Alberto! Alejandro!" Antonio cried. "You're here?"

"Yes, captain! The rest of the crew died in London or went missing. We managed to steal this boat."

"I'm so glad. But I lost my compass. How are we going to get home?"

"Well, we'll just have to find land and find help there then."

"What about Bel? Is she alright?"

"She got taken away by those damn British soldiers."

"Don't worry. Our chance will come when I go back there again…with more men!"

**X**

"You're Carriedo's woman?" The queen looked at Daphne with a raised eyebrow, not trusting the girl's words.

"I'm not, your majesty! My sister was his woman, not me! But she died and I was forced to impose as her!"

"All the more I cannot take you in!"

"Your Majesty, I do not wish to be taken in. I only wish to go home."

"You're not Carriedo's woman so we have no reason to hold you captive. You also refuse to go back to Madrid. Where is your home?"

"Luxembourg, your Majesty. But I have no financial support there…"

"Where is your brother?"

"I don't know. One moment he was right in front of me wounded and then he's gone." Tears gathered at Daphne's eyes. "I don't know what to do now. If I go back to Madrid, Antonio's men will go after me. If I go back to Luxembourg, I won't last long."

The queen stared at Daphne for awhile and then her stare softened. "Alright…you can stay in England for the time being…until we are able to contact your brother."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

**X**

"You have never learned to dance, dear?" Arthur teased after Rio stepped on his foot again. He was teaching her the King and Queen waltz. She was too lazy and moody to dance but Arthur forced her to get her butt off the chair for once.

"Oh shut up, Arthur. Unlike you, I spent most of time on fighting instead of embroidery and dancing."

"But I'm still better than you."

"Sim, whatever. Then here's your reward." She put her head on Arthur's shoulder and bit the back of his neck slightly, kissing it at the same time. Arthur let out a soft moan. Rio giggled to show her pleasure as she continued to bite his neck. Rio stopped at the sight of Victoria. It wasn't the first time Victoria had seen Arthur and Rio this _close_. She wouldn't mind most of the time and just walk out of the room but sometimes it got annoying since they were a couple and she, being the youngest, had to wait for them to finish their 'business' so she can finally talk. It happened before with her and her brother Francis when he would flirt with some random girl and she interrupted. Francis told her it was rude to interrupt a couple's 'interacting'

"Victoria…I-um…yes?"

"I saw a guy from my window…he brought three men with him and he looked a lot like you."

"What in the world?" Arthur looked through the window and his eyes widened when he saw Antonio settling down at the shore. Rio saw it as well. "What the bloody hell? What is _he _doing here?"

"I don't see any ship from far. He must be stranded." said Victoria. "You know him?"

"We've got to hide you!" Arthur said, grabbing Rio's shoulders.

"Who exactly is he?" Victoria demanded.

"He's her brother."

"He's not my brother!" Rio hollered. "He's Arthur's enemy."

"Rio, you're not fighting him." Arthur said as if it was a command.

"I never said I wanted to." She turned around and crossed her arms. She wasn't stupid enough to charge in and finish Antonio off but she'd prefer it if Arthur wasn't the one who killed him. Antonio wasn't only Arthur's enemy, but also hers. Arthur, by killing Antonio, would seek justice for himself and Rio. But she wanted things to be fair for Lars and his sisters. She had no idea what happened to them, but she wouldn't get her hopes up. If Antonio was still alive, something must have happened to the three siblings. What's done was already done, she can't blame Lars for breaking his promise. Now that she was pregnant, she couldn't express her distaste in Arthur killing Antonio.

Arthur had no weapons and Rio only had her arrows and bow. There was only one arrow in the case and Arthur was an amateur when it came to archery. "Victoria, is this the only weapon we've got?"

"I don't hunt." Victoria snapped.

"Well…I guess it's worth the shot!"

"Arthur, you don't know how to use those." Rio protested. "You'll just end up getting killed."

"But I've got no choice!"

"Then I'll fight!"

"You can't run that fast with a baby bump, Rio."

"Why should I run? An arrow to the eye of that tomato bastard will kill him!"

Rio ignored Arthur and grabbed the arrows and bow. Arthur glanced at Victoria, begging her to put a good word into Rio's head but Victoria was actually supporting Rio's idea. Rio had no armor on, just a dress that reached above her knees.

"Rio, if you won't consider my feelings, think about the baby!" Arthur pleaded as he finally stood in front of Rio. Rio was no longer relaxed, she was all tensed up. Arthur knew it was bad for the baby. He followed Rio, trying to convince her to leave everything to him but to no avail. "Rio, stop it!"

"Follow me if you want, Arthur. But this is the end for Antonio." Upon hearing his name, Antonio turned around. He wasn't surprised. His lips curved into a smirk when he saw Arthur as well. Victoria was told to hide so that she wouldn't get hurt. But Victoria had the urge to stop Rio from killing Antonio. She felt as if she was related to Antonio but couldn't remember. Antonio was waiting for Rio to start cursing him and spitting vulgarities at him but she had no intention of talking to him. She raised her bow with the arrow in it and aimed at Antonio's eye. It was the best shot compared to his chest or head. Rio thought by now Antonio would be running off and trying to stab her or Arthur with the sword in his hand, but he looked like he was taking a suicide gamble. It was as if Antonio was rooted to the ground.

"No, wait!" Victoria screamed. It was too late. The arrow pierced the flawless skin on her abdomen and blood started to stain her beautiful sky-blue dress. She shrieked in pain as she collapsed, her hand clutching the wound.

"Victoria!" Rio rushed over to the girl's side, her eyes filled with tears. Arthur was furious at Antonio for his smug look but also at Victoria for wasting the last arrow.

"Don't kill Antonio. Promise you won't."

"What?"

"Just promise you won't kill Antonio!" Victoria cried. There was anger in her eyes. But why was Victoria no longer supportive of the idea of killing Antonio? Rio pulled the arrow out of Victoria's dress gently. The blade of the arrow was now blunted and blood-stained.

"Rio!" Arthur yelled. It was a warning, but Rio was too busy tending to Victoria to see what was coming. Antonio used the blade of his sword to hit Rio, causing her to yelp. The soft sand broke her fall and she was lying on her stomach. She couldn't get up due to her weight combined with the weight of the fetus. Antonio flipped her around so that she was lying on her back and facing him. His body covered hers completely so that Arthur couldn't get a glimpse of her. He was getting more tense as he fought the two other men. There were three, but he managed to kill one and take his sword. Antonio took out a knife from his back pocket. Its blade was curved.

"I see that you and Arthur have decided to start a family," Antonio said, tickling her skin with the tip of the knife as it moved down her neck, to her chest and then to her abdomen. "Don't worry. After this, you'll come back with me and we'll start _our _family."

"No!" Rio screamed. She didn't care if she got violated by Antonio, she just wanted to keep the baby. Antonio raised the blade. In seconds, the sharp blade cut through the skin of her lower abdomen, her flesh and the membrane of uterus. Blood started to flow out of her as her hearing and sight became impaired. She could see nothing but the red color of blood and hear nothing but the cries of her baby. She felt like she was having those hallucinations all over again. The pain that Victoria and Arthur helped her get over was getting to her again.

Antonio seemed to be enjoying Rio's state, but he couldn't even smile. He wanted to show how cruel he was to do such a thing to his own sister but it was like his heart didn't allow him to smile or smirk. He turned around and cursed when his men and Arthur were out of sight. But little did he know that Arthur was standing behind him all the time, waiting for the ripe time to stab him. The blade of the sword that once belonged to Alejandro, Antonio's crewmate, went through Antonio's abdomen, though Arthur was aiming for his chest. Arthur pushed the sword in to deepen Antonio's wound.

"It's the end for you."

"N-no. I-I'm the strongest p-pirate in the world…"

"How ironic."

Antonio hissed in pain. A scream was stuck at his throat as he refused to let it out. He didn't believe it was the end for him. He didn't want to believe it was Arthur Kirkland who was stabbing him now. Arthur pulled the sword out of Antonio as he collapsed for the first time. Arthur stepped on Antonio, aggravating his wound.

"H-How could I l-lose to you?"

Arthur didn't answer that question. He raised the sword and finish Antonio off once and for all. He avenged all the people Antonio killed and hurt, including his own child. He dropped the blood-stained weapon and ran over to Rio's side. She was lying motionless on the sand, wide-eyed. He glared at the sky when he noticed a storm was forming. Dark clouds were appearing and soon the rain was mixing with his tears and the crimson blood of Antonio on his hands. He picked Rio up. He knew the child in her was dead and she was on the verge of it but he hoped for nothing but her to live. He loved her so much that he couldn't allow this to be a memory for them. He left Victoria, who was still conscious. She was struggling to get on her feet.

"I'm sorry." Victoria whimpered. Her heart was eaten up by guilt as she cried. Arthur didn't reply. The amount of tears that flowed out of her eyes can never be equal to the amount of blood Rio lost. In fact, no matter how much Victoria helped Rio in the past, it would not make up for Rio's loss of the baby. Victoria may have indirectly helped the baby, but now that it was gone, wouldn't all her help be in vain? Wouldn't it mean that she now had nothing to do with Rio? Wouldn't it mean that the baby was Rio's gift in return for helping her? _Why, Rio? Didn't you say you wanted to give me something in return for all that help? Why didn't you ask me what I wanted first? Why did you give me something I don't like? _


	9. Farewell or Goodbye

Arthur clutched Rio's fingers as he stroked her cheek. Her skin was white, not blood-stained. Arthur would have memories of that fatal day and check on Rio just to see if she was breathing. Sometimes he would be so relieved that he cried. Victoria would come in and sit next to Rio when Arthur wasn't around. He was still in her house although the sight of her makes his heart burn with hatred. As soon as Rio regained consciousness, he would leave with her. To Arthur, the loss of his child would make up for all of Victoria's help, no matter how bitter or cruel it sounded. Now that Antonio was dead, Arthur put all the blame on Victoria. She rushed into the scene and protected Antonio. Arthur didn't know why and he didn't want to know either.

Victoria remembered. Antonio was Francis' friend. He used to visit a lot, sometimes even more often than Francis. She once had a crush on him, but he was too old for her so she took him for an older brother. She was dying to know about the feud Arthur and Rio had with him but Rio was unconscious and Victoria wouldn't dare talk to Arthur. She was afraid he might even kill her if she told him the reason why she protected Antonio. She had so many things to say to Rio. But would Rio forgive her? She had observed Rio for the past weeks and saw how much she doted on her unborn child. She didn't bear a grudge against Arthur for killing Antonio, she just wanted his forgiveness so that he could be a messenger for her. She might be too ashamed to face Rio.

"Arthur?" Victoria managed one day when Arthur was starting his new daily routine of waiting for Rio to wake up. Upon hearing Victoria's voice, his grip on Rio's hand tightened. He didn't look at Victoria or say anything to her.

Victoria frowned. "I'm very sorry."

"What's your relationship with him?"

"What?"

"What's your relationship with Antonio Fernandez Carriedo?"

"He's a friend of mine…"

"A friend? A friend?" Arthur turned around and glared at Victoria, his eyes like daggers stabbing her. "Do you have any idea how much pain Antonio has inflicted on Rio and other innocent people!"

"I d-don't."

"Well if you're that dumb, then why did you act like such a hero then?"

"I'm not dumb!" Victoria suddenly protested, forgetting her position. "I mean…I'm just really sorry. But I don't understand why you can't just have another baby."

"You'll never understand." Arthur said as the image of his queen appeared in his mind. Even though Antonio was dead, Arthur had to return to England. He was still legally married to the queen. He glanced at Rio and wondered he would ever be able to marry her. The queen was a flexible woman, but she didn't seem like she could do without Arthur. He lived a life like this because of his past greed. He wanted to be a pirate and the queen helped him, causing him to be indebted to her. He could imagine the queen calling him more greedy than usual for wanting a second wife.

"Arthur, I'm sorry." Arthur wanted to ignore Victoria, but he noticed Victoria was no longer in the room. He turned around and saw Rio's lips moving slightly. He rushed over to her side and held her hand, signaling her that he was there for her. "Arthur, I'm sorry."

"No, Rio. There's nothing to apologize for."

"I'm sorry." Rio sobbed. Her eyes were red and glassy.

"It's okay, Rio. Don't cry." He wiped her tears using his fingers although he was crying too. "It was an accident, alright?"

"No. I should have listened to you. It was too dangerous for me." Arthur embraced Rio and stroked her back and she wet his shirt with her tears. He held her head near his chest as she let all her grief out through her tears. "I miss him."

"I know. I do too."

**X**

Francis smiled at his red-headed guest. He curved his fingers around the handles of two wine glasses and put them down on the coffee table. He poured his favorite wine in each glass and passed one to his guest. He settled down on the armchair, sitting across his guest. The redhead was a surprise guest and Francis honestly didn't like him for he was a pirate. He waited for the redhead to start a conversation as he counted the minutes.

"I heard your friend, Antonio died." Niall began.

Francis cleared his throat and glanced at Niall, managing a smile. "Yes. Tragic, indeed."

"Do you know who would have caused this?"

"Well, he's a pirate. I'm not surprised that he would have died in some kind of battle."

"Are you sure? Or do you think he died because somebody _killed _him?"

"Of course somebody killed him. The enemy pirate, probably."

"Have you ever wondered who this enemy pirate is?"

Francis gulped. He knew what Niall meant. It was Arthur Kirkland. Francis has met Arthur before but has never actually got along with him. All he knew was that he was Niall's brother and Antonio's enemy. But Antonio agreed to never drag him into any of his feuds. Now that Niall has spoken such words, Francis was at the risk of cleaning up his dead friend's mess.

"Arthur Kirkland?"

"Yes."

"How would you know? You were the one who tossed him off his ship, no? How could he and Antonio end up in the same place?"

"Don't forget. Antonio was kicked out of London."

"Yes, but I don't believe Kirkland and Antonio would end up in same place."

"If Antonio is no longer with his ship, how could he have died in an _attack_?"

"Maybe he drowned to death. Maybe they both drowned to death."

"I know Arthur is still alive."

"How?"

"Ask your sister, Victoria. She knows best."

Niall signaled his men to bring out the 'booty'. They nodded. Francis's eyes widened when he saw his beloved sister in front of him, her wrists tied together and neck tied to a rope that looked like a leash that Niall was holding. Her eyes were glassy and wet and her hands were blood-stained from her failed attempts to cut the ropes. Her neck had scratches and bruises and she was limping.

"Victoria! What-"

"Let me do the talking," Niall interrupted. "Your little sister loves to help people, doesn't she? She took in a pregnant woman and her husband and built a ship for them. Sadly, they never appreciated it. I'm sure you wouldn't let your sister get bullied like that."

"What do you want!"

"I want to make a deal with you."

"Brother, don't believe-" Victoria was interrupted when Niall's hand made contact with her cheek.

"I don't care what deal it is. Just let Victoria go!"

"I want you to kill Rio Juarez Carriedo."

**X**

Rio stared blankly at the sand as Arthur packed the last set of food on the ship. He glanced at Rio and frowned. They were getting ready to return to London and Arthur had to provide an explanation for the queen. He didn't feel like going back to London but he didn't want to keep running away with Rio. Hopefully, the queen would let them be together. Arthur held Rio's hand with one hand and caressed her cheek with the other. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

"It'll be okay." He assured as he pulled back.

"Where's Victoria?"

Arthur frowned. "It's better that she's not here."

"But I'm worried. She didn't see her at all since I woke up. Did you…I mean, did anything happen to her?"

"I don't know. The last time I saw her was before you regained consciousness."

"I was hoping I could say goodbye to her."

"I know you treat her like a sister, but don't forget what she did to you."

"But you said it was an accident."

Arthur kissed Rio's forehead. "It was. But all this wouldn't have happened if she never interfered, right?"

"I wonder why she interfered."

"I told you. But let's not bring this up. We're almost at our happy ending. We'll go back, gain Her Majesty's approval and get married in London."

The conversation ended there. Rio dare not ask about Lars. Arthur would reassure her that he's still alive but if she asked any other person who knew Lars' reason for going back to Madrid, they would say that he died. Rio's heart won't be able to stand those two words 'Lars died.' She wet her pillow every night when she thought about him or even dreamt about him. She got onto the ship and she set off to London with Arthur. Hopefully, she would be able to find any of Lars' sisters. Even if she couldn't find Lars, she wanted to thank him for being her friend for all those years with Antonio by treating his sisters well. She never got the chance to be nice to them in the past as she was always arguing with Daphne. She never got to get along with Bel either. At that age, she thought she was the young mistress **(1)** of the house since she was Antonio's sister.

**X**

Surprisingly to Arthur, the ride home didn't take as long as he thought. He wished he could stall for time, but the palace was right in front of him. The guards in front greeted him as he walked in with Rio. Rio has never seen such a huge palace. Her boss also lived in a palace, but not as big as this one. She feared if she lived here with Arthur, she might never get used to it. The floor was made out of well-polished marble and there were colossal statues and paintings of past kings and queens of England. The paintings in the palace took up almost the whole wall. There were several doors to rooms that Rio couldn't count. Finally, they reached the throne room. Rio grabbed Arthur's arm as he was about to open the large door.

"Arthur, I'm nervous."

"There's nothing to be nervous about." He said as he kissed her cheek. Rio was sure someone would have seen that.

Out of the blue, there was a familiar blonde girl walking towards the entrance of the throne room. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows furrowed as soon as she saw Rio. Her heels made a "click-clack" sound as she stomped angrily towards the couple.

Pointing at Rio's face, she snapped, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Bel? Is that you?" Rio said as her face brightened up. "Oh, Bel! I'm so glad to see you? What are you doing in England? What happened to Lars and Daphne?" She embraced the girl tightly.

"Let go of me!" The girl bellowed. She grabbed the older girl's arms and pushed her away. "You should know well what happened to my siblings, you wretch!"

"Watch your foul mouth, girl. You're in her majesty's home. I don't know and don't care why you're here but you better not get in our way."

"Oh, and who are you?"

"He's my husband." Suddenly, the large doors opened and the queen was sitting barely a yard away from the couple and Daphne. Her arms rested on the cushioned throne as she stood up and smiled. She walked gingerly towards Arthur and held out her arms to embrace him. "Arthur, I'm so glad you're back."

"Y-Yes, your majesty."

"Don't be silly. I told you that you can call me Elizabeth since we're married."

"Yes, Elizabeth…"

"I see you've brought a friend." She said as her voice turned strict when her eyes wandered to Rio. She held out her hand to shake and Rio followed. "You are?"

"Rio. Um, your majesty."

"Your full name."

Rio glanced at Arthur for help. He moved his lips to signal her to give a fake name. "My apologies, your majesty. My name is Rio Carla."

"Where are you from?"

"Portugal, your majesty."

"Really? Didn't Arthur attack Portugal?"

"I believe it was an accident, your majesty, since he was actually targeting Spain. I befriended him there."

"How odd. Very well though. As I trust you, I shall not question you on the long period that you've been 'missing'." The queen turned around and glanced at Daphne, realizing she forgot to introduce her to Arthur. "Arthur, this is Daphne Aafjes. She was a prisoner of Antonio who I believe now is dead."

Rio almost broke down at the thought of that day, but she had to keep her cool. But she wondered why Arthur hasn't told the queen his real purpose in returning to England. She couldn't stand another few days and she would probably get executed if she suddenly blurted out that she slept with the queen's husband. She glanced at Arthur and talked to him with her eyes. He nodded in response, but Rio feared he didn't understand her intentions.

"Your maj- I mean, Elizabeth."

"Yes, Arthur?"

"There's something I want to tell you…"

"Shoot. Later we still have a meeting with an ally country and a dinner party…"

"My relationship with Rio is more than just friends…"

"Well that's good. It's the first time I've seen you so chummy with a foreigner. It will benefit the country."

"I mean...we're in a relationship."

"Relationship? As in…?"

"We're in love…and I would like to marry her."

**X**

Lars rested under a tree and covered his eyes from the glare of the sun. He assumed he was still in Spain, considering the hot weather. No matter how much water he drank, he would lose it all because of the hot weather. He had enough of making several trips to the river. His legs were too weak to bring him to the river. He hated how he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even doze off as he worried he would not be able to wake up. He wondered if he was able to make it to Madrid. At least he would be able to find his sister quickly using the help of his network. Then there was Rio, whom he promised he would kill Antonio. But he never did. She had probably got over it and moved on with Arthur since she hasn't sent for him yet. He didn't blame her but he felt bitter that Rio might fall in love with Arthur.

That bitter feeling was called jealousy but the word was too big for Lars to admit.

**X**

Rio was in Arthur's room in the colossal palace, spending her last moments with him. All she heard from the queen was the words "I won't allow it." She didn't blame the queen. Of course, what kind of wife would allow that? She was just lucky that the queen didn't call for an execution or something. She was sitting on a chair while Arthur was sitting on his bed across her. She had stopped crying since she cried her eyes dry. Arthur was trying to put up a strong front, but it wasn't those times where he could. He was crying as well and he did it behind Rio's back so she wouldn't feel worse. He wanted to argue with Elizabeth, complaining that she didn't love him and all that. He scolded himself for not being a man and standing up for what he wanted. He knew his queen didn't love him and he didn't love her either, so why make each other suffer by being together? It was the first time the queen had said something so cold to him, saying that he had to stay by her side to pay for what he owed her. Without her, he would have never become a pirate. But he actually _loved _somebody for once, was he still a pirate?

A maid walked in and mumbled a few words to Arthur and left the room in a hurry after hearing Arthur's orders. He walked towards Rio and bent down a little so he was face-to-face with her. He pushed all the strands of hair covering her face behind her ear so he could see her beautiful face for the last time. He was about to kiss her, but wrapped her arms around his neck and forced the kiss. The kiss lasted much longer and Arthur thought they could make love again, but remembered that the room he slept in was never going to be shared with her. A knock on the door caused Rio to pull away and that was the last time she felt his lips on her. Arthur seemed to be quite angry as he walked towards the door and opened it.

"I'm sorry for intruding, Mr Kirkland. The ship to Portugal is here."

"Tell Elizabeth we'll be down."

The maid nodded and left. Arthur glanced at Rio with glassy eyes. "Well, time to go."

"W-Will I see you again?"

He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "I hope so. But you have to wait for me."

Rio nodded. "Will you?"

"Of course."

He held out his hand, asking Rio to take it and led her downstairs. The queen wasn't there, just a few guards who were to escort Rio to her ship and back to Lisbon. Arthur gave the guards a look that meant to say he would kill them if anything happened to Rio or if Rio boarded the 'wrong' ship. Arthur tried his best not to make his goodbye to Rio too dramatic since he was confident he would see her again. But he felt terrible when she was just gone like that. For a few months, he saw her face every day, even when he just woke up in the morning. Would he be able to get used to it? To wake up to an empty spot on his unusually large bed? The bed was big enough for four people, so he was free to toss and turn in it. But he'd prefer to have somebody to embrace. It felt warmer with Rio there and he didn't have to toss and turn just to get to sleep.

"So, has she left yet?" The queen said, a bit too bluntly.

"Yes…your majesty." Arthur said bitterly although he was able to address her informally.

The queen put a hand on his shoulder. "Arthur, I know you miss her, but you have to consider this country, the people and me."

"Yes, your majesty." Arthur just walked back to his room. He was in no mood for any foreign meetings or dinner parties. He just wanted to do what he always did when he was younger after that incident in the woods. Cry to sleep. All the tears were supposed to saved for the night, but he couldn't help shedding a few drops behind the queen's back. Still, no matter how depressed he was, he refused to have the queen take pity on him again. It was just another debt he had to pay. Wiping away his tears, he reached into his wardrobe. He groaned when he saw new sets of clothes in there but wore them anyway to make him look smart.

Meanwhile, Rio was being rushed to the ship for some reason. She had no idea why the escorts were so fast when the ship wasn't supposed to arrive until half an hour later. She was forced to keep silent as she was considered a slut now. She had no right to say anything to the escorts, especially since they were sent by the queen. Other than Arthur, she only thought of Lars and Daphne, but thinking of Lars would make her shed more tears.

The ship looked like a pirate's ship, rather than a sailor's. However, she was oblivious to the appearance as she was too deep in thought. What was she going to do after returning to Lisbon? How was she going to explain to her bosses why she was gone for so long? If she told them she had an affair with Arthur, it would disrupt the relations between Portugal and England. The feeling of unease followed her until she reached the ship which was unexpectedly early. Just when she was about to ask the escorts about that, they pushed her onto the ship abruptly.

"Hey, what was that for?" Rio snapped.

"Ya just have to listen to us, poppet and y'all be alright." The escorts removed their uniform which was supposed to be that of a British soldier. They were pirates! Rio tried to remember how to defend herself, but all those months without much physical activity made her immobilized. She stared at the men, her eyes soft and her skin was pale. She was petrified. How could she be frightened of pirates now if she fell in love with one? She yelped when one of the men grabbed her arms forcefully and pushed her. He hit the back of her neck, causing her to get knocked out. She collapsed and her vision began to blur. The last thing she saw was a familiar man with shoulder-length blonde hair.

"I'm sorry, _mon ami_."


	10. Half a glass of poison

The brunette's eyes fluttered open slowly as they were tired. She could feel that her eyes were bloodshot now. She didn't wonder where she was. She remembered everything that happened to her. This was the second time she got kidnapped by pirates, but this time by real pirates. She thought of Arthur giving her a surprise attack, but that would be plain fantasy. She thought she knew the captain of this ship but she couldn't remember who. She only remembered one feature which was his hair. He had silky, gold shoulder-length curls. Her wrists and ankles were tied up with very hard rope that looked like a metallic rope. She has never seen or felt such hard rope. When she struggled a little bit, she felt her wrists bleeding.

She looked around the room. It was a very small room with no furniture. The floor and walls were all made out of wood that was damaged. There were bugs crawling out of the cracks of the walls and ceilings. The room also reeked of rum. There was a small window on the door. Rio struggled to stand up, ignoring the cuts that were forming on her ankles. She managed to balance herself before the window. She peered through the window – there was nothing interesting. Just a few pirates moving goods to the ship. She scanned the place to look for the captain but she couldn't see the rest of the deck. She groaned but her eyes brightened up when she saw a familiar girl. She was wearing a sky blue dress but her black hair was let down this time. She was Victoria. Was Victoria kidnapped as well? Why were the pirates ignoring her if she was kidnapped?

"Victoria!" Rio yelled impulsively. Her knuckles hit the sharp wood of the door.

"Aye, the poppet's awake!" A pirate announced. Another pirate, who was the captain of the ship, passed a set of keys to the announcer. He gave him some instructions as the pirate went to unlock the door that Rio was kicking. Despite her desperate attempt of trying to get out earlier, Rio backed away once the door was open. The pirate raised an eyebrow. "Why ain't ya comin' out, poppet?"

The pirate grabbed her, his muscular fingers crushing her skinny arms. He dragged her out of the room where many pirates who were working sneered at her. There was nothing to hide anymore. She was infamous for sleeping with the queen's husband and they probably assumed he threw her away after having enough fun with her. These pirates could possibly be hired by the queen to execute her. Of course. She was too exhausted to think positively anymore. But why was Victoria on the ship? Was the queen that good to track down the girl who let the third party live? The pirate brought her to a cabin ten times larger than the one she was locked in. The cabin was decorated with wallpapers with exotic designs and the floor was made out of polish wood. This ship might not even be a pirate ship. A familiar man whom Rio assumed to be the captain, signaled his crewmember to leave. His back faced Rio as he poured wine into two empty glasses, not forgetting a special ingredient for his guest.

"Who are you? Were you hired by the queen to execute me?"

"No dear Rio," He said as he turned around. "I'm here to save you."

"F-F-Francis?"

"It's been a long time, Rio."

"Francis Bonnefoy! So you're Victoria's-"

"Yes, I'm her brother. Sort of."

"W-Why are you here?" Rio looked away, a shade of red started to color her cheeks. It was not easy trying to forget the embarrassing day when she asked Francis to marry her. She was fifteen years old then and she found Francis, who was three years her senior, very attractive. Antonio thought her crush was ridiculous and refused to put in a good word for her. She shook the memory of Antonio from her mind. She didn't want to be reminded of that fatal day.

Francis chuckled. "Well I heard of the awful news that your brother passed on, so I'm taking care of you in his place." He walked closer to Rio and stroked her hair. "And maybe your fifteen-year-old-dream would come true."

Rio slapped Francis's hand away. "The only thing I need from you now is for you to bring me back to Portugal. Then I will have nothing to do with you."

"Portugal isn't that near. Why should I bring you all the way there when you can go back to Paris with me?"

"You said you would help me!"

"I didn't say I would _help _you, I said I'm going to take care of you. That is only possible if you live under the same roof as me." He handed Rio a glass of wine containing the special 'topping' he added for her. She gulped at the smell of the expensive wine. It wasn't just the ordinary rum, it was expensive French wine. Only those rich folks who lived in the city could afford such a rare beverage. She curled her fingers around the glass and sniffed the wine again. She put the edge of the glass to her lips and tilted it a little. The wine went into her body – so did the poison.

"So, how's the wine?"

"It's…" Before Rio could finish complimenting the rich taste of the wine, she collapsed. Francis's eyes softened as he watched the poor maiden fall. Behind him, a red-headed pirate put his arm patted Francis' shoulder.

"Ye did the right thing, mate. She deserves it, for killing off your friend."

Francis glared at Niall. "She did not kill Antonio, it was _your brother_."

"He would have never touched the man if not for this bitch-"

"You're wrong."

"Excuse me?"

"Kirkland and Antonio were _enemies_, fighting over a treasure."

"So ye telling me that this here wench just happened to be me brother's childhood fantasy _and _Carriedo's sister?"

"Rio was never Antonio's biological sister. As for Kirkland's childhood fantasy, you should know more of that."

"Please, that girl died a long- did you just say treasure?"

"Yes, it was mentioned in a casual conversation I had with my late friend. I have no idea where it is and what the chest contains."

"I think I can inquire me brother about the booty. As for her…"

"She's dead, alright! Just leave the corpse alone! I'll take care of it."

"Right. I'll drop ye off in Paris."

"No. Madrid, with the corpse."

"Ye be joking, mate. There is no way I am letting the corpse rot here all the way to Madrid."

"No matter what she did, she is still the sister of my friend and it is my duty to give her a proper burial!"

"Fine. Whatever. Just make sure the corpse doesn't be affecting any of me crew. You can proceed by cleaning up the body."

**X**

The morning light flew into the room as the maid tied the curtains up. The glare got into the pirate – now privateer's eyes as he groaned. The maid greeted him sweetly, informed him that his queen was waiting for him for breakfast and left the room. She was warned about Arthur's terrible mood for the past few days and had little conversation with him to keep her job. Arthur got up reluctantly. Unless he was drunk the previous night, he would have gotten up much earlier and quickly without fail. Maybe he was drunk, despite her majesty constantly reminding him that he just cannot hold his liquor, regardless of the amount. He had a hell of a headache and did not want to think about anything. He headed to the royal bathroom, took a shower (although he hated cleanliness) and headed downstairs in his proper privateer uniform. His wife, hating to admit it, was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's her majesty?" Arthur would rather address her formally rather than Elizabeth when he wasn't in her presence.

"Sir Kirkland, she has left for a meeting."

"Meeting? With whom?"

"My sincere apologies, I do not know. But he seemed to be a very important person."

"Did she tell me to go there?"

"Yes. After you finish your breakfast, sir."

"I'm not surprised." Arthur mumbled, soft enough so that the maid wouldn't be able to hear. Without even touching the anything of the spread on the table, he stood up and headed to the meeting room. Once he entered, he saw a soldier in a Spanish military uniform. Instinctively, he pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the man.

"A Spaniard! Stand back, your majesty!"

"No, Arthur!" The queen cried. "That man is an informant! He is here to help us!"

Arthur kept his pistol. He was sure the man was laughing behind his petrified expression for seeing an intimidating pirate listen to a woman. He took his seat across the Spanish soldier and waited for his queen to speak. An informant? Antonio was dead, what was there to _inform_?

"Colonel Juan?" The queen said, raising an eyebrow. The man was a colonel and yet he was afraid of a privateer's pistol?

"Yes, your majesty." The man began. "The King has been talking about a treasure belonging to that tyrant Carriedo."

"I am a privateer, I have no interest in any treasure." Arthur stood up and left the room.

"My deepest apologies, Colonel Juan. He's been a little depressed lately."

"Ah, I understand."

"I would like to invite you for lunch."

"That would be lovely, your majesty."

As the queen headed upstairs to change into a different dress, the soldier spotted Arthur in one of the dining rooms. He knew what was on the Englishman's mind. He walked over to him, deliberately making his footsteps loud.

"Ah, being far away from your lover is indeed heartbreaking."

Arthur glared at the soldier. "What are you doing here?"

"I could not finish talking about the treasure when the witch was present."

"I said I'm not interested-"

"This treasure, as stated in Carriedo's will, currently belongs to his sister Rio Juarez Carriedo."

"Pardon?" Arthur's voice was immediately filled with energy when he heard Rio's name.

"There is a key to this treasure, in the fingers of this woman will the chest be open."

"What does this have anything to do with me?"

"Pirate or no pirate, you have been dying to retrieve this gold. But you know what's inside. It has no gold, no jewels, just a piece of paper – a deed."

Arthur gulped. It was true. He had been trying to open the chest for five years. He had the map, the key, but before he could even go within a yard from the chest, it would disappear and the directions on the map would change. The chest was heavy because of the weight of itself, but it only had a deed. Anyone who placed his signature on the deed would live forever and have the power to rule Spain and its territory around the world. With this, Arthur's hands could spread to the rest of world. He had stopped thinking about it after he met Rio. To put it bluntly, after he stopped being a pirate.

"The chest will belong to you on two conditions – that you marry Carriedo's sister and kill her."

"Thanks for this piece of news, I'll tell her about it so she can go retrieve it with my map."

"You're indeed bewitched, Arthur Kirkland. Seriously, what's so good about her anyway? That can be better than to have your signature on that paper?"

"Even if I talk to you incessantly for an entire year, I wouldn't be able to finish telling you about why I love her."

"Yes, but I'm sure you wouldn't want another man to marry her then get the treasure for themselves."

"What?"

"You think we're the only ones who know about this? That woman is now wanted in Spain and some parts of Portugal. I've seen lots of untouched gifts at her home when I visited Portugal. Some of them weren't even gifts but death threats."

"And she's just _ignoring_ this?"

"Even her boss is after her."

"Doesn't she live with her boss? How can she stand that?"

"She wasn't there."

"She got on a ship."

"Were you sure it was a British ship?"

Arthur paused. He grabbed a flower vase and threw it on the floor. "Bloody hell!" He glanced at the man and grabbed him. "Tell me what you know."

"Her wake will be held in the garden of her home the day after tomorrow."

"Wake! Jesus Christ! Fuck!"

"Arthur?" The queen stood at the door of the dining room, her feet almost a centimeter away from a fragment of the flower vase. Arthur knew that she had heard everything from her expression. Arthur stomped past the queen, avoiding the fragments. She grabbed his arm. "Arthur, where do you think you're going?"

Arthur glanced at his queen, tears in his eyes. "She's gone. She's gone!" He ripped his arm from the queen's grip. He ordered the servants to contact his crew as he left for his new privateer ship, not even turning back to see his queen.

**X**

Lars had his first gulp of water in twelve hours. It was actually rum and he almost drank half a barrel. He was saved by the Samaritan soul of the owner of a Spanish pub. He was on the back of his horses, dragging a carriage of rum with him when his horses almost trampled on the poor man. He saved Lars and promised to take him back to Antonio's home. It was a dangerous choice, but he just wanted to bring his sister back home. He would never say that Daphne was his only sister. He remembered he had two sisters just that one wasn't on Earth. The pub owner, named Carlos, offered him another round of rum. He and Lars were sitting in the carriage as his horses were resting.

"So, you're Carriedo's crew?"

"Not anymore. He has my sister."

"I see. So are you wooing Carriedo's sister?"

Lars almost choked on his rum. "Excuse me?"

"Don't tell me you live in Spain and you don't know about that lucky whore!"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"That woman is the heir to Carriedo's treasure. If you're his crew, you should know about that."

"I know he has a treasure with some special deed, but what is it?"

"It's a deed that can grant every man's wish. Sadly, only one man. If you marry this woman, the treasure will be yours and so will the deed. If you sign it, you'll live forever and Spain will be yours. But you need to kill that bitch off first."

"She is not a bitch." Lars covered his mouth. He was wondering about the consequences of leaking his relationship with Rio. Who knows, this kind pub owner could just slice his throat if he didn't tell him anything. "W-well…do you think you can take me to Portugal?"

**X**

Arthur stepped onto the Portuguese harbor once again. He was glad that the country has already recovered from the chaos he caused. The sailors ignored him and didn't bother to recognize his face when they saw his privateer attire. The city of Lisbon was bright, sunny and warm as usual unlike Arthur's mood. Arthur wondered how weathers could be like this in the mornings of the funerals of many. How could somebody weeping over the loss of their loved one stand the fact that just a mile away, some people were happily playing at the beach? Arthur let his new crew take care of the ship while he got onto a carriage.

"Where to, Senhor?"

"The King's palace."

"You're attending Miss Carriedo's wake?"

Arthur gulped, trying to control his tears. "Y-Yes. Are there many people at her wake?"

"No. She died unmarried. Even her boss isn't attending it. Say, are you a friend of her?"

"No. I-I'm her fiancé." Arthur couldn't hide anything anymore. He did not realize that his face was already wet with tears.

"Are you serious? Does that mean you two are engaged?"

"No."

"That's a shame. If not, you could have gotten the treasure!"

"Would you stop talking about the treasure!" The carriage stopped. Arthur looked out the window to see a typical palace. He has never been in there before. Though the queen encouraged him to visit Portugal as England and Portugal had close ties, he never really thought of going there. He paid for his carriage ride but skipped the door. He walked directly to the garden, there weren't even any maids, soldiers or servants stopping him. He was late indeed. He saw nothing but empty chairs and a few soldiers and a blonde man standing around the coffin. That man looked familiar to Arthur. He made his way to the coffin as well, ignoring the stares of the soldiers. He was astonished to see an empty coffin with a broken lock.

"Arthur Kirkland?"

Arthur glanced at the man. "Francis Bonnefoy! What are you doing here?"

"I…I…was holding this wake but the coffin, it's-"

"Don't give me that load of crap! You're a friend of that scumbag Antonio! Why would you be holding this wake, much less attending it?"

"I'm talking about the coffin!"

"I'm talking about Rio's disappearance! I'm sure you know that she boarded the wrong ship!"

"She boarded Tinkerbell!"

Tinkerbell was Arthur's first ship. It was his own ship, not the property of the British. It was where he first made love with Rio, but it was no longer in his hands. The thought of his vengeful brother came to his mind. He was not surprised, but why would Niall be so bent on killing Rio? Was he that furious at Arthur for locking him up, for even trying to execute him? Niall was usually not the type to bear long feuds and grudges. He even taught Arthur that value, saying that grudges were just a waste of time. He was shocked at his own brother, teacher and even father for going back on his word.

"This coffin…does this mean that she's still alive?" Francis asked.

"Inferring from the drops of blood in the coffin, it is likely that she escaped." One of the soldiers replied.

"So, Rio isn't dead?" Arthur asked. It was a rhetorical question since he already had an answer for himself. He started to believe that arrows do travel faster than bullets, which was what he heard Rio say to Lars when he offered to teach her how to shoot. Arthur had to find Rio again. Rio would be most likely lurking around Portugal, hiding from men as she cannot afford being caught and forced into marriage.

"Wait, how did you get to Rio?" Arthur asked Francis, noticing that he was about to leave.

"It's a long story, but you'll hear it from your brother."

"Don't tell anyone about Rio 'escaping' from the coffin."

"Why?"

"You'd know if you really cared about her."

He left the palace without a trace after bribing the soldiers about the same thing. He was filled with ecstasy as he knew Rio was still alive but he was worried for her. He was one of those few men who understood the feeling of being forced into marriage. But if Rio were to marry anyone at all, it would be him. Arthur noticed that it wasn't even noon yet and there were barely any carriages on the road. One carriage stopped in front of him, which he assumed to be a normal carriage. Arthur was about to walk away when he was told it was a rum carriage until Lars got off the carriage. He looked different. His hair was down, covering his scar and his scarf was not there.

"Thank you very much! I'll treat you one day!" Lars said to the carriage owner before he left.

"Lars? It's really you!" Arthur cried.

"Oh, it's you." Lars said flatly.

"Where were you all the time? Do you know how worried Rio was?"

"I'm sure you're pretty disappointed she died without marrying you, you bastard!" Lars's fist went flying into Arthur's face, causing him to bleed from his mouth. "Heh, no wonder you kidnapped Rio. It was all for that reason."

"Lars, Rio isn't dead. The coffin was empty!"

"I can't believe you're still being so desperate for that treasure!"

"Lars, Rio is not dead. I'm not after the treasure. Many things happened when you were gone!"

"Yes, I'm sure you would have done something to Rio to make the treasure yours, other than just fabricating your childhood friend story."

"That was real and I love Rio. If I wanted that treasure, I would have just forged her signature on a marriage registration form and take her life."

"But you and Antonio were crushing each other's bones over that treasure."

"That was before I fell in love with Rio. I rather have her than that deed."

Lars paused and realized it indeed has been a very long time since he said goodbye to Rio left for Madrid. Probably even too long. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Niall's back and Rio is with my child, well…_was _with my child. I don't want to talk about it."

"Jesus Christ!"

"I'm sure you're looking for your sister, Daphne. She's currently staying in my home, her majesty's residence."

"Thanks, but I'm worried about Rio."

"Leave that to me. I know best where she'll be hiding."


	11. Married to a dead soul

Rio was glad she was still in Portugal. Though it may be one of the most dangerous places, as long as she was careful, she wouldn't get caught. As she played dead in that dusty coffin, she observed Francis. It was so ironic. Francis kidnapped Rio, spiked her drink with a deadly poison and then gave her a proper burial? Rio smelled a rat. Someone must have instigated him to do so, considering the recent death of Antonio. It would not be surprising if Francis wanted to avenge his own friend, but looking at Francis's personality, he wasn't the type to go all out for revenge. Even if he did, why go through the trouble of bringing Rio back home? He said it himself, he was too lazy to drag his butt to Lisbon. As for the poison, luckily Rio recognized its smell. It was indeed deadly, but the victim needed to consume a certain amount to die. For the past few days, Rio had experienced the side effects of the poison. It definitely made it harder for her to move around, but she was getting better.

Rio roamed around the marketplaces in Lisbon. The marketplace used to be an ordinary street but now it was packed with shops, roadside food stands and restaurants. It brought back memories. Rio didn't know if they were pleasant or not. It was the first street she visited when she came to Portugal, hand in hand with Antonio as he dragged her along it. Now she couldn't even picture the street being so clear. Her eyes stopped when she saw a familiar figure. It couldn't be. Was she even in Lisbon? Rio almost screamed when the figure turned around. Messy red hair, pierced ears, green eyes and thick eyebrows – Niall Kirkland. What on earth was he doing in Lisbon? Was he still bent on getting rid of Rio? Rio's blood would boil every time she was reminded of this. Wasn't it over when Niall stole Arthur's ship and threw the both of them off? Why did he want her dead so much? Out of the blue, a man with shoulder-length blonde hair appeared next to him. Niall seemed to be all cheerful and talkative while Francis was just keeping quiet, which was a bit unlike him.

"So you two are in cahoots!" Rio blurted out. She covered her mouth and bit her finger as a punishment. She noticed her disguise was off. _Shit_, she thought. Before Niall could say anything to her, she turned around and fled. She ran as fast as her thin legs could manage. She was sure that Niall was running after her now, but nobody was on her tail. Even with her disguise off, nobody was looking at her with a suspicious face or anything. It was odd, but she was relieved. Rio ran until she reached the end of the street where she hid in a carriage of hay.

"Bitch!" Rio heard. She popped her head out of the hay and saw Niall quickly hurrying behind her. She panicked a little but composed herself quickly. She climbed to the front of the carriage and pushed the rider out of his seat.

"Oy!"

"_Desculpe!_" Rio yelled out to the rider.

"_Senhorita _Carriedo?" The man mumbled.

She looked behind, noticing that Niall was not there. By the time she turned her head to look in front, Niall's carriage was right beside hers. He pulled out his pistol, causing Rio to yelp. He aimed it at the horses of the hay carriage and shot. The horses stopped abruptly and collapsed, causing Rio to fly out of her seat and land on the road. Thankfully, the road was clear of any other carriages at the moment and Rio quickly got up. Before she could flee, Niall grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his carriage. He threw her into the carriage with a tied up Francis and left for his ship.

"Francis!" Rio removed the cloth covering Francis's mouth.

"Finally." Francis said with pants in between his words. "Rio, I-" Francis was interrupted when Rio slapped him across the face twice, leaving two red marks on both of his cheeks.

"What the fuck, Francis! Are you against me or not?"

"Shhh, not so loud. He can hear us."

"Well?"

"I'm not against you, _mon ami_. Niall Kirkland had Victoria and-"

"Victoria! Where is she?"

"…On Niall's ship."

"Are you fucking crazy? You left her on Niall's ship?"

"I know. I shouldn't have been so careless."

"So if you're not against me, why did you…?"

"He blackmailed me by threatening to hurt Victoria. I'm sorry, Rio but it's just that I really love Victoria…You would do the same if you were me, no?"

"Of course, but not for Antonio."

"Rio, untie me and I will get you out of here."

"How can I trust you?"

Before Francis could respond, the carriage already stopped. Rio felt a sense of guilt when she heard Francis curse under his breath. The carriage was opened and the two were dragged out and brought onto _Tinkerbell_, Arthur's beloved vessel. It brought back memories from where she first made love with Arthur and so on. But there were also things linked to it that she did not want to recall. Her feet felt the familiar deck once again. The ship hasn't changed at all.

"Recallin' ye happy moments?" Niall said.

"You were the one who wanted me dead?"

"I be sure there's no need to ask 'bout that, since Francis be spillin' the beans to ya."

"But…but…why?"

"Let's put it this way, shall we? Ye see, the way ye be makin' me brother into a softie is not pleasin' to me eye."

"To me, that isn't a very good reason."

"Please, I'm a pirate. I must be unreasonable. As for Arthur…"

"Well if you want me dead so much, you could have just pulled out your pistol and blow my brains out."

"I don't think I will be doing that." Niall made a few hand gestures and the pirates grabbed Rio and follow Niall into Arthur's old study. They sat her down on a chair in front of Niall and tied her up. Niall put the scroll in front of Rio, dipped a feather end into ink and handed it to Rio. There were the words _Marriage Registration _at the top of the scroll, written in a large font. "Well?"

"You're after my inheritance!"

"We can do this together, Rio," Niall said, caressing the brunette's cheek. "Ye are very pretty after all."

"I will never agree to it!"

"Bring her in!" Suddenly, the doors opened and Victoria was brought in. She was tied up just like Francis and was murmuring words Rio couldn't comprehend. "Then maybe ye could suggest a slow and painful way to take care of ye friend, Rio? How about several nails in her head? Or maybe mermaid bait would be good?"

"No, Rio!" Victoria cried as soon as she managed to remove the cloth off her mouth. "Don't sign it!"

Rio gulped, her fingers clutching the feather in her hand. Slowly, she put the tip of the feather on the scroll and signed her name while biting her lip, trying not to cry. She could imagine the depressed look on Arthur's face when he finds out that she never kept her promise to wait. Her tears wet the scroll as she quickly rolled it up and handed it to Niall. There was an irksome smirk on the redhead's face that made Rio furious. How was she going to spend the rest of her life on this ship? The feeling of being on her most beloved's vessel and yet with another man was bitter. It also made Rio feel like a slut.

"Now that I've married ye and I have the map, the treasure be mine!"

"You don't have the map."

Niall chuckled. "Oh please, do ye think Arthur could have held onto the map this 'ere whole time?"

"He keeps it in his clothes, doesn't he?"

"Bloody hell!" Niall cursed. "Men! We be settin' sail to London!"

**X**

"So, this is the map?" Lars asked as a rhetorical question as he continued to study the scroll. He was riding in a carriage with Arthur back to Her Majesty's residence in London. Lars needed to reunite with his sister and Arthur needed to find Rio, regardless of what his queen says. He showed the map to Lars. He had Francis to thank for the map, though he did not want to say that to Lars. Niall was probably still thinking the map was in the study of _Tinkerbell_. "You're a pirate, you have this map, why didn't you just go for it?"

"I told you, I love Rio. Even after I marry her, the inheritance still rightfully belongs to her."

"But I still don't understand why a scum like Antonio would leave a deed like that for Rio and yet not even for himself."

"That makes me doubt the deed is real."

"Real or dud, everyone is after this deed and they're even wooing Rio just to get it."

"I know. She's out there alone, which is why I'm so worried about her."

The carriage stopped outside the palace. Arthur was feeling a little nervous and guilty, remembering how he retaliated when his queen refused to let him go to Lisbon. He didn't say anything rude to her, but it was the first time he disobeyed his queen openly. Especially in front of that Spanish informant which could would have humiliated the queen. As for Lars, he was excited to be able to see his sister again. Lars was amazed at how Arthur was greeted all the time by maids, servants or guards who walked past him despite him being a pirate. Arthur mentioned the queen had already knighted him, but he saw no difference. They were all equally ruthless and the government of that country took the blame.

"Welcome back, sir." A maid greeted. She turned out to be the queen's personal maid.

"Alice, do you have any idea where her majesty is?"

"In her bedroom. She's terribly sick."

"Is she sick enough to not be able to see anyone?"

"I'm not sure. I'll inform her that you've returned?"

"No. I don't wish to agitate her. Just tell her that I've sent a letter home saying that I'm alright."

"Yes, sir."

"Well," Lars said. "That was cruel."

"I still need to find Rio. If I tell her majesty that I'm back, she'll never let me step out of this country again."

"You should just leave Rio to me, after all-"

"Brother!" A familiar squeal echoed in the hallways of the palace. Daphne, whom still looked like her late sister, made her way in front of the two men and embraced Lars. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Daphne, I'm glad to see you too! Why are you dressed like Bel?" Lars could feel tears flowing out of his eyes when he was reminded of his other sister whom he sang to sleep.

"It's a long story but I don't want to talk about it." She said, wiping the tears off her brother's face. "It's a miracle! I thought I would never see you again."

"Well, here I am!"

While Lars and Daphne were talking to each other about what happened to them, Arthur was informing a few soldiers to prepare a larger crew and more ships. "I'm glad you're enjoying your reunion with your sister, Lars. Enjoy your stay in my home, I'll be gone now."

"H-hey, wait!" Lars yelled. Arthur turned around. "You forgot something." Lars took out the map from his pocket and handed it to Arthur.

"Thanks, but I won't be needing this now."

"Yes you will."

Without hesitation, Arthur grabbed the map and kept it in his jacket. He proceeded to the carriage earlier and went to board his ship. The queen looked out her window to see her own husband bringing a ton of soldiers at sea and risking his own life for another woman. She understood how much this woman meant to him, but all those years of her support, he would at least have a sense of gratitude towards her. She coughed again, noticing that it was getting worse. She knew well that these symptoms weren't just signs of the common flu, but something much more deadly. She hoped that she'll still be alive by the time Arthur returned, but feared she would only see pity in his eyes but not love.

**X**

Rio already predicted what her fate was when she signed that scroll. Her marriage with Niall was only a day old and she was already picturing her fate. She was supposed to spend the night next to her _husband_, Niall but remembering what he did to her the first time he came onto the _Tinkerbell_, she was far too afraid go any near him. She kept awake the whole night, scared that he would rape her if she fell asleep. He wouldn't kill her, not yet, until he got what he wanted. There were bags under her eyes and she was feeling very cranky and exhausted. Being a bit of a neat freak, she would take her bath no matter what and make sure to lock the bathroom door and block it with heavy things. She knew Niall had such a mindset that since he was her husband, he was free to walk in on her anytime he liked and it wouldn't be considered ungentlemanly or perverted. Was it going to be this way for the rest of her life? She couldn't imagine bearing the child of such a ruthless scumbag.

The next morning before Niall went out to see to his crew, he locked Rio in the room so she wouldn't be able to escape. "I did think of tying ye up, but I won't be so cruel since ye be me wife." Rio almost flew into a rage when she heard 'my wife' come out of Niall's mouth. Those words belonged to Arthur, not him. What Rio worried about was the lack of air in the room. The door had no gaps and the windows were removed from the walls. Was Niall that stupid or was he really trying to kill Rio? It might last Rio a few hours but soon she'd be panting for air.

"So, ye lackin' air yet?" Rio heard Niall call from the outside of the cabin.

"No!"

"Ye be tough now, but soon ye be on ye knees for air."

Was Niall doing this just to get Rio to promise him something?

"Bastard!"

There was no answer.

"Fine, I don't care! I'll never promise you anything!"

At this time, Rio would have expected Niall to give her a cocky answer, but he didn't say anything to her. He seemed to giving his crew battle commands. Rio wanted to look out for hope, but she could only hear and not see. If there was really a fight going on outside, Rio had a meek chance of escaping, if she was careful enough not to get spotted by any of the enemy pirates. She tried breaking the door open with her shoulder, but it only injured her. She heard the shooting of cannons, bullets and men taking out their swords.

"Niall! Niall! Let me out! I can fight!" She yelled. She could fight, with a bow and arrows which could obviously not be found on a pirate ship. "Niall!"

Rio never guessed that the enemies were Arthur and his crew. Neither did Arthur expect Rio to be on that ship but it was pretty predictable anyway. Upon seeing Arthur and other Brits, Niall ordered his crew to shoot cannons at them. Arthur was provoked of course and he decided to attack since he could find Rio on that ship. His men were beat though, after attacking several ships without Rio. Arthur noticed some of them jumping off for their lives.

"What ye be doing out at sea, Arthur? Shouldn't ye be home with ye queen?"

"Is Rio on board or not?"

By the time Rio heard Arthur's voice, she was already panting for air. She had used too much of it calling for Niall to no avail. Would Arthur hear her if shouted louder? "Arthur…"

"Why ye be carin' so much 'bout that wretch anyway?"

"I'm not here to take back my vessel. I'm here to rescue the woman I love, to make it more clear to you, my wife."

"Arthur…" Rio panted.

"She ain't ye wife, Arthur, no matter how much ye love her. She be legally married to me."

"As if I would believe that she would ever agree to marry you-" Arthur paused when he saw Rio's signature in permanent ink on the marriage registration form. "That…that…"

"Arthur!" Rio screamed.

"Rio!" Arthur headed to the captain's cabin but was obstructed by other pirates and Niall himself.

"Ye be taking too much from me, Arthur! Ye won't be taking this booty from me!"

"I'm not after that booty! It belongs to Rio, not you!"

Niall pulled out his sword and pointed it at Arthur's neck. At the same time, Arthur's pistol was pointing at Niall's chest. They were in this paused position, while each of their crews were being killed or thrown off the ship. "Put ye gun away and I'll spare ye, then take ye and ye crew and go home!"

"I don't want to kill you, Niall! Release Rio and this vessel is yours!"

"Ye can take the vessel! I want the wench and the map!"

"I don't have the map!"

"Aye! Don't make me stab ye just to get it!"

"Bullets can travel faster than blades!"

"We'll see 'bout that!"

The brothers attacked at the same, with Niall stabbing Arthur and Arthur shooting a bullet at Niall's forehead. Niall's blade went right through Arthur's abdomen but he was untouched. _I missed. How could I miss? _Arthur thought. He had shot many in his pirate life using that same pistol, how could he have missed?

"Ye missed, Arthur! Now ye lose ye life, ye wench, ye vessel and ye crew!"

"N-Not exact…exactly…"

"What?" A bullet penetrated the redhead's chest, causing him to collapse. He touched his wound and stared at his fresh blood being shed for the first time. He has never shed blood for a long time, neither has he lost a battle before in his life. Behind him, Rio was wide-eyed, her fingers curved around the handle of a pistol. The door to the captain's cabin had a hole in its lock, which was caused by Arthur's missed bullet. Once Rio composed herself after realizing she killed a man, she rushed over to Arthur's side. The wound was very deep and Rio hoped the blade did not touch any of the vital organs.

"Sir!" A soldier cried, rushing to the Arthur's struggling body.

"Take him back to the ship and treat his wound immediately!" Rio told the soldier. While Arthur was taken back to the privateer ship, Rio went downstairs to the prisoner cells to look for Francis and Victoria. _Arthur, you can't die. You just can't. _Most of the cells were empty with nothing but skeletons and spider webs in them until she came to one. Victoria was poking and pushing her brother's motionless body.

"Victoria?"

"Brother…Brother…" Victoria sobbed as she tried to save Francis with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Rio, who took the keys from Niall, opened the cell gate.

"Victoria, get out of there, now!"

"But…Big Brother Francis." Victoria continued to weep. "The gate's not big enough!"

Rio groaned a little and gingerly made her way into the cell. "Come on!" She put one of Francis's arm around her neck and the other around Victoria's. They carefully dragged him out of the cell. "He's too…heavy…"

"Somebody, help!" Victoria cried. Fortunately, a soldier rushed down the stairs and saw Rio and Victoria struggling to support Francis.

"This man…he's wanted in London for having relations with the pirate Antonio Fer-"

"Just get him on the privateer ship!" Rio snapped. The soldier nodded and piggybacked Francis. Rio could tell that at this rate, the _Tinkerbell _could sink. She was saddened by the fact that Arthur's beloved vessel was sinking and it also carried many good memories. There was chaos on the upper deck. Pirates and soldiers were killing each other by not just stabbing but also slicing each other's heads. Rio boarded the privateer ship, followed by Victoria but the soldier carrying Francis had a hard time jumping onto the ship.

"Come on!" Rio yelled.

"Brother!"

"I'm trying to but he's too heavy!" The _Tinkerbell_ kept bumping on and off the privateer ship. To prevent the privateer ship from sinking as well, some of the soldiers were maneuvering it away. "Some help, please?"

"Jump! Now!" Rio demanded. The soldier jumped, but his legs missed the privateer ship. Instinctively, his hands let go of Francis to hold onto the ship. Francis's body, still motionless, fell into a sea of corpses, becoming one of them.

"Brother!" Victoria screamed her voice hoarse. She wanted to jump in to save her brother, but Rio pulled her back.

"Victoria!" She embraced Victoria as she wet Rio's top with her tears. "Victoria, I'm sorry." Victoria mumbled many things to Rio about Francis, but Rio could not understand them with loud sobs and cries in between her words. She imagined herself being in Victoria's state if Arthur's fate was similar to Francis'. She was anxious to go check on how Arthur was doing, but she was Victoria's only kin now.

"I-I'm sure you h-have other things to see to…" Victoria pulled away from Rio, breaking their embrace and followed one of the soldiers to an empty cabin. She would probably cry for the next few hours and mourn for the next few months. Once Rio knew Victoria was safe in her own cabin, she was led to Arthur's cabin where a professional doctor was treating his wounds.

"How is he?" Rio asked out of nowhere, not even introducing herself and stating her relationship with Arthur. "I-I'm Rio C-Carla…a friend of Arthur Kirkland."

"Your accent…are you Portuguese?" asked the doctor.

"Yes."

"Do you know how to make that popular ointment used there?"

"Yes, but it will take a while to make it. I'm not sure if Arthur can stand the wait, or even find the right ingredients to make the right ointment."

"I have a few herbs here. I've disinfected his wound with normal medicines, but it's not enough."

"Are you sure he can stand it for such a long time?"

"He will be able to stand it, however there can be sudden side effects and…"

"If it'll save his life, I'll do it."


	12. Pure ecstasy

It all felt no different from the day Rio first touched Arthur's bare skin. She was using the same ointment on him, but they were on a different ship. A local British ship used by privateers. Arthur had fallen unconscious for about an hour, the same time when the doctor left the cabin. Rio applied the ointment on Arthur's wound as she recalled what happened on the _Tinkerbell_. She was too busy taking care of other things to see whether the vessel actually sunk, but there were already rumors spreading among the soldiers. Arthur might not be able to accept that his beloved vessel sank without him, but he had mentioned earlier he would give it to Niall in exchange for Rio. Rio didn't know if she should feel proud that she successfully killed an evil man with a pistol.

Rio recalled the scene where she broke Francis and Victoria out. Because Antonio was already dead, she had nothing much to do with Francis, but she felt like his death was caused by her. If only she controlled herself and didn't let Niall find out she was still alive, Francis would have never been held captive. Arthur wouldn't have to go through the hassle of looking for her and ending up getting a deep wound in his abdomen. She feared her relationship with Victoria would sour if she had the same mindset. Victoria still blamed herself for Rio's loss, but a life for a life. If Victoria really did have this mindset, she'd probably want nothing to do with Rio. Victoria was nothing but a teenager and now that Francis, her only backing, was gone, how was she going to survive on her own?

Rio was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Arthur wince. "Arthur, is the wound itchy?"

Arthur didn't respond until his eyes were opened completely. "R-Rio, is that you?" Rio nodded and Arthur suddenly had a burst of energy. "Rio! I'm so glad to see you again!" He embraced Rio as he shed tears of joy.

"Arthur, I-"

Rio was interrupted when Arthur pressed his lips against hers as if he hasn't seen her for years. The kiss lasted for a few seconds until Arthur pulled back. "I don't care, I'm not losing you again. You're staying with me in London."

Rio forced a smile. "A-Are you feeling any better?"

"After seeing you, I feel much better."

Rio's cheeks flushed upon hearing that. "Well, get some rest. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Arthur realized he was getting a little too paranoid, but after what happened, he got worried about Rio easily.

"Lower deck, to Victoria's cabin."

Arthur frowned. "She has a cabin on _my _ship? So now what, even her brother is on board? Rio, he tried to kill you!"

"He was forced to. He's not on board…"

"Rio, I know you treat her as a little sister but her bro-"

"He's dead."

**X**

Victoria was cooped up in the guest cabin. Her tears had dried up quickly and she was no longer shedding them. She tried to keep Francis off her mind by drawing on the walls of the cabin but everything seemed to remind her of him. She remembered she drew on his wall when she first came to his house at the age of six. The maids and servants were all bellowing at her and calling her an ill-mannered child for drawing on the wall. However, Francis appreciated her drawings and demanded that they stayed on the wall. Since then, Francis never cleaned that part of the wall or changed the wallpaper. Victoria wondered if the drawing was still there. As her loss wasn't that long ago, she began to point fingers. She knew what she was doing was immature, but when you lose a loved one, you feel so guilty that you want to do something for them and that, in Victoria's eyes, is blaming others.

She was still engaged in drawing on the wall that she was oblivious to the sound of Rio's footsteps. Maybe she did hear it, but didn't want to turn around and look at Rio. For the past hour since her brother's death, she had been putting all the blame on Niall. But he was dead and Victoria wasn't satisfied, so her conclusions led to Rio. Victoria didn't want to blame Rio without knowing what really happened, but Francis and Rio came in the same carriage, both tied up. What does that mean?

"Hey," Rio said as she tried to smile. "Are you feeling better?"

"Mm."

"Well, Arthur's awake."

Arthur? Arthur? Did Rio think she was in still in the fucking mood to care about Arthur Kirkland? Victoria hadn't realized she was talking out loud until she saw the change in Rio's expression. Her cheeks flushed and she put her hand on her mouth. If she couldn't control herself, she would tell Rio a lot more things far more hurtful than that. Her mind was occupied with Francis and people to blame for his death. Why would she give a damn about whether Arthur lived or died? For a while, she thought Arthur should have died so that it won't make Rio look so happy, but she shook that thought away. She didn't forget what she did to that innocent, unborn child.

"Victoria, I'm sorry. That was irrelevant." Rio sighed and prepared to leave the room. Victoria wasn't in the right mood to speak to Rio yet.

Victoria turned around. "Wait."

"Yes?"

"Sorry…I shouldn't have said that of him."

Rio managed a smile. "It's alright."

"Where are you taking me?"

"I don't know. Where do you want to go?"

"Home."

"As in your island?"

"No, my brother's home." Victoria figured that was where Francis wanted her to go.

"Alright. Get some rest."

"Wait!"

"Anything else?"

"C-could you stay for a while longer…?"

**X**

The trip back to London from Paris wasn't long. They were actually nearer to London at first, but Rio wanted to make sure Victoria made it to Francis' house just in case the same thing happened to her. At first, Rio's mind was occupied with Victoria's future. _The loss of Francis might give her suicidal and maybe even murderous thoughts, I can't really trust those servants and not to mention…_Rio was too busy thinking about these to worry about the queen objecting to her being with Arthur. Other than Arthur, Rio has never cared about anyone else that much. She didn't know if she just pitied Victoria, or she actually treated her as a little sister. Rio has never had a younger sibling before, was it just a motherly instinct?

"Rio," Arthur said. "We're here."

Rio realized she was so deep in thought that she didn't even feel the ship stop. "Oh."

"Are you nervous?"

"Not really."

Arthur smiled. "Good." He kissed her forehead. "We should be getting off now."

**X**

Once they reached the palace, the queen wasn't at home. Her room was clean as always, but there was a difference – her wedding ring. It was left on her dressing table, together with a letter. Arthur has never been so shocked since he found Rio in Lisbon. The maids told him nothing but to go to his wife's room, his ex-wife's room. Rio, feeling that it was odd for her to enter the queen's boudoir, waited outside for Arthur.

_**Dearest Arthur,**_

_**I am sorry I could not wait for your return. By the time you read this, I won't be here anymore. However, I thank you for all those years of support. It must have been quite hard on you. I remembered you proposed to me years ago with this ring. This ring does not state that we are married as we needed each other's help during that time. I believe it belongs to someone else now. May God bless the both of you.**_

_**With Love from**_

_**Elizabeth**_

Arthur dropped the letter, the ring warm in his palm. His hands turned into fists as he sank to his knees. He was sure he was sobbing, but there were no tears. The letter, to him, meant that he had wasted his queen's youth for the sake of getting permission to sail the seas and bomb his enemies for booty. He got on his feet, ransacked the drawers of the dressing table until he found a small box decorated with navy blue fabric. It stood out among the other jewelry boxes as it was very small and not as bulky and thick as the others. The queen treasured the ring so much that she didn't dare to mix it up with her other jewelry. Arthur put the ring in the box, cleaned up the mess he made on the dressing table and left the room.

Rio looked at him, leaning against the closed door of the room as if he had just run a marathon. "Arthur?"

Arthur embraced Rio and the tears were finally leaving his bloodshot eyes. Rio didn't say anything. She already assumed what could have happened to the queen when the maids were ignoring Arthur's questions and the queen wasn't at home. The last time Arthur got to look at his queen was when he disobeyed her and left the house. The ring belonged to her, no matter what. It was a sign of how immature he was back then, wasting the queen's time and youth. He was that superstitious to imagine seeing that ring on Rio's finger.

**X**

Surprisingly, Rio woke up early on that day. She didn't know if it was because she was so excited the previous night that she forced herself awake early. It was probably the first time she rose earlier than Arthur who was still sleeping on the other side of the bed. Rio could hear his gentle snoring. He was, to her, very adorable when he was asleep. It reminded her of him when they first met. However, he looked more serious when he was asleep and his rosy freckles were no longer there. Rio smiled and caressed his cheek. She was about to give him a gentle kiss there, until he suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pinned her down on the bed. His adorable look disappeared and now he had a playful smirk on his face.

"What were you doing?" He asked, planting a kiss on Rio's neck.

"You ruined everything anyway." She said as she lifted her neck and kissed Arthur on the lips. "Now, get off me."

Arthur frowned and got off the bed. "Alright, but I'm having it my way tonight."

"Speaking of that…"

"What?"

"Isn't it a bit inauspicious to see your husband the day before your wedding day?"

Arthur sighed. "So you skipped tea yesterday to see Wang Yao?"

"I just wanted to be sure what to do."

Arthur stole another kiss on his wife's lips. "Well, I'm glad you didn't make him the fengshui arranger."

**X**

The wedding was held in the garden, it was neither simple nor grand. The weather was just perfect. The sun was up, but it was slightly cold due to the morning breeze. There were fewer guests although Arthur had a rather wide network. Most of the guests were Arthur's and Rio's friends. Others living in Arthur's house, including slaves, were to work full-time on that day. None of Arthur's business partners who he had not gotten along with yet were present. Arthur believed they didn't see him as an important person anymore since the queen was no longer his wife and they expected him to lose his cool just to get their support again but he didn't really seem to care anymore. Arthur was too busy talking to his true friends to notice that there were an abundant number of invited guests who didn't come.

"It's time." A servant whispered to Arthur. Arthur nodded and the guests stopped talking and settled in their seats. Once everyone settled down, Arthur glanced at the pianist and the choir and the music began. Arthur then stood in front of priest and stared at Rio, who was walking down the makeshift aisle, her arm locked with Lars' arm. She was walking at a fast pace but Lars tried to slow her down, telling her that her speed must match of the tempo of the music. Arthur could tell she was getting too excited about marrying Arthur despite the many times she told him that the wedding can wait. Lars and Rio stopped in front of Arthur and Lars let go of Rio's arm. The pianist and choir halted as Arthur led Rio nearer to the priest to take their vows.

After taking their vows and the priest pronounced them husband and wife, Arthur grabbed Rio and kissed her passionately, carrying her bridal style at the same time. Rio was a little startled and shy especially in front of so many people. The guests cheered and applauded the couple and Arthur carried his wife down the makeshift aisle.

"Arthur, where are we going?"

"Our honeymoon destination in Victoria, Seychelles." He smiled at her and Rio realized Victoria was already there, opening the door of a carriage for the couple. "Of course, Victoria, you won't be coming with us right?"

Victoria glared at the Englishman. "I'm sure I don't want to see what you'll be doing there anyway."

"Arthur, can you put me down first?" Rio asked. "I want to see somebody before I leave."

Arthur realized who she wanted to speak to. Why should he be jealous? They were husband and wife already. He gently put her down and waited as Rio went back to the wedding scene and searched for Lars in the crowd. She finally found him, he was flirting with some of Daphne's school friends which was quite unlike him, in Rio's eyes. "Hey," Rio said with a smile. Daphne and her friends greeted Rio and shifted away so that Lars could speak to Rio alone.

"Hey. Shouldn't your ride be here by now?"

Rio embraced Lars. "I just wanted to thank you."

Lars put his arms around Rio and hugged her back. "For what? Are we not best friends?"

"For being my friend on Antonio's ship, for staying for Arthur's ship just to keep me company, for keeping your promise to stay alive, for hosting my wedding today, for being Arthur's best man, for leading me down the aisle and into the next chapter of my life and for many other things you've done for me."

Lars smiled and Rio noticed tears in his eyes. "I'll miss you, friend."

"I'll miss you too. But I'll be back."

"And I'll be here when you are."

Rio smiled and hugged Lars once again before waving goodbye to him and getting on the carriage with her husband. She was sad that she won't be seeing Lars for a long time, but she was filled with pure ecstasy now that she was finally married to the man she loves. Victoria demolished her old house on that island and built a new one for the couple since she won't be staying there anymore. Rio knew that the fortune-teller Wang Yao would say that Seychelles would be an inauspicious place to have her honeymoon since that was where Antonio and her first child died, but she didn't care anymore. It had no tourists, there was only one house on the entire island, she and Arthur would be alone there which was what Arthur preferred.

"How does it take to get there?" Rio asked, already groaning about the long distance.

"A few days. I'm sorry I couldn't get a ship without a crew, it's just that I'm a little paranoid…"

Rio kissed Arthur on the cheek. "Sim, but I'm already getting impatient."

"I've a surprise for you when we get there." Arthur smirked as he kissed Rio's lips. Arthur felt Rio's blissful smile against his lips. She was happy again. They had their happy ending like they expected and hoped it would last forever. But of course, their story didn't end there. Niall and Antonio was dead, not forgetting a good person like Francis, but Antonio had a wide network that might lengthen the couple's story, in a bad way. Rio was too happy that she forgot about him. Silver hair, red eyes, a small bird as sidekick.

Gilbert Beilschmidt.

**Author's note: Well that's it! Have I leaked too much information? Hope you enjoyed the story and please review! XD Thank you all readers! ^^**


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